tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39656331521260039312024-03-08T11:49:16.105-08:00BakemonogatariAnimonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.comBlogger179125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3965633152126003931.post-31189475720610688712014-01-30T03:33:00.001-08:002014-01-30T03:33:30.826-08:00Durarara!Air date: Jan 8, 2010 to Jun 25, 2010<br><br /><br><br />Studio: Aniplex + Brains Base<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />Episode number: 24<br><br /><br><br />Score: 10/10<br><br /><br><br />Durarara! is one of those anime masterpieces it's rare to come across. As such, having picked it up randomly halfway through a fall season felt like hitting the jackpot. I'm sure those who watched it at that time know how tough it was to wait for the next episode weekly, how exhilarating it felt to see the pieces falling into place and linking the individual stories into a bigger, more intricate pattern. Much alike weaving a tapestry where the drawing could only be seen fully by the end. I'm sure many would disagree, but personally it remains to this day one of my top favourites.<br><br /><br><br />ATTENTION: THIS REVIEW IS NOT SPOILER-FREE!<br><br /><br><br />STORY<br><br /><br><br />Durarara's plot is hard to narrow down to the essential. It is, after all, made up of several individual stories. That's not to say that the plot is all over. It focuses on a trio of characters - Mikado, Kida and Anri - who are classmates, and it's their meetings and adventures that shape the core of the story. It's also deeply affected by the existence of a Headless Rider, a Dulahan. It is one of those plots that are defined really simply: people meet. Stuff happens. Some people part, some people miss each other, others are caught up in things that aren't supposed to be possible. Try it, really: watching just the first two episodes will give you no clue about what will happen the rest of the series. Or rather, it will, but you won't be able to see it.<br><br />Similarly, it is incredibly hard to include it in a specific genre. It has a bit of everything, from mystery to romance, to comedy and drama. This broadness is certainly part of what makes it so unique and so appealing to many different types of watchers. In fact, I've suggested this series for people with little interest or knowledge of the anime world, only to see them hooked in three-episode's worth of time.<br><br />I like to think of Durarara as a tale made up of character-centered worlds. For the most part, you can only see that world, and even as you're introduced to more worlds they're just separate spheres to you. But as your vision broadens and they expand you start to watch them collide and interact.<br><br /><br><br />It is unfortunate that the series exists as a stand-alone as of now, since there are some loose ends waiting to be picked up and some characters we didn't get to learn about yet. Fret not, though: the series has an ending. It doesn't leave everything hanging and concludes Kida's arc. But my personal opinion is that every fan would like to know what Orihara Izaya has in store, how Celty's head is going to play out and how will the others be manipulated and played.<br><br /><br><br />Characters<br><br /><br><br />The thing that Durarara does best - and it excels in nearly every area - is characterization and character development. I have a very hard time choosing my favourite character, and even a harder time choosing a least favourite one. Admittedly, I have a thing for Izaya. But I love Shizuo just as much. And Celty and Shinra (especially their couple-like interaction). And Kida. And Harima Mika, even though she's a stalker. Even Mikado who looks so half-assed at the beginning is much more than he appears to be, and the same with Anri.<br><br />My point is . Good or evil, flamboyant or discrete, they're interesting, they're captivating. Every character is layered, amusing and rich. Every character has undertones that you didn't see before, and you see it in a new light after a while.<br><br />For me that's particularly true for Anri and Mikado. Anri's apparent lack of personality and willpower struck me as deeply unlikable, thus I was positively impressed when her whole backstory was revealed and she was shown to be Saika's master. After all that mess, she became a better character as she decided that, even if her existence was of a parasite, and voluntarily so, she would try to do what she could to help her friends. Mikado, on the other hand, was not unlikable from the start. He just looked na ve, the typical main character that ends up being dragged into an adventure. He would have been alright like that, just nothing other than a clich . However, he was not. He was curious, smart and bigger on the inside than on the outside. More importantly, he was the leader of the Dollars.<br><br />Apart from these two revelations which made for incredible episodes, I loved Kida. I loved every side of Kida, his faked irresponsibility and carelessness, his serious face when he got back as the leader of the Yellow Scarves, his dark past, all of it. He's rather complex, and even when he's just being silly for Mikado's sake, you get these delicious hints that something is hiding behind the mask.<br><br /><br><br />All of them left not only a lasting impression in me but I cherish them and remember scenes and quotes from time to time. For all of these reasons, Durarara's characters get a top mark.<br><br /><br><br />ART AND ANIMATION<br><br /><br><br />Honestly, there isn't much to complain about in this department. I know that not everyone enjoys the style of animation that Durarara has, but for me, it was the perfect complement to the rest of the series. Even now, years past, Durarara's animation is clean cut and pleasing. It's fluid, natural, while remaining bright and eye-catching. It's believable while retaining a hint of unrealism, which goes well along with the supernatural bits of its story. It might not look out of this world based on the current art trends, but at that point it won easily over its competition.<br><br /><br><br />Conceptually, one of the bits that really caught my attention was Celty's design. Particularly due to the fact that being headless meant that her body language had to be incredibly detailed. I take my hat off to the animators for making it so, and even going to the trouble of making her smoke vary with her emotions. The animation is even more outstanding when it comes to the materialization of the scythe. Celty is pretty much the only character that is not human, so I would have to consider myself disappointed if the animation didn't reflect that.<br><br />Character's designs are very different in style, race and build which is pleasant to see. It's not often that we get a character like Simon, for instance. He's way broader and taller than the rest, his accent is different and there's even a bit of Russian in episode 24. It was also amusing that, for a change, Kida's hair is said to be dyed right in episode one, instead of weird hair colours being considered normal as it is so in many other series.<br><br /><br><br />The action scenes have their own style of animation. In that regard, I remember vividly every Shizuo scene, mostly because he tends to pick up giant city objects to throw them around. He battles Saika's children all at once. He gets shot and doesn't even care much. And finally, he is stabbed through his hand with a pen. Every scene with Shizuo is likely to be a memorable one.<br><br /><br><br />MUSIC AND VOICE-ACTING<br><br />As everything else in Durarara, the music and voices were thoroughly considered so they would fit the characters and overall tone. The soundtrack, composed by Yoshimori Makoto, has fun tracks, fast-paced ones, silly sounds and creepy tunes in equal amounts. I like to listen to it from time to time, even if at some point it gets too disturbing and distracting to go on. Their insertion in the series itself is genially executed, to the point that one can't even realize its presence sometimes, albeit still feeling its powerful effect.<br><br />As for the voices, the high quality is evident in the choice of seiyuu, since nearly every popular male voice-actor has a part in the series. These people all know how to give a character identity just by changing the way they sound. I can't avoid mentioning Ono Daisuke (Sebastian in Kuroshitsuji, Sinbad in Magi) as Shizuo, Miyano Mamoru (Yagami Raito in Death Note, Tamaki in Ouran High School Host Club) as Kida, Fukuyama Jun (Watanuki in xxxHolic, Lawrence in Spice and Wolf) as Shinra, and Kamiya Hiroshi, the god of male voices (Araragi in Bakemonogatari, Natsume in Natsume Yuujinshou, Levi in Shingeki no Kyojin), as Izaya. As for the ladies, it would be rude to forget Hanazawa Kana (Kanade in Angel Beats, Shiro in Deadman Wonderland) as Anri, and Sawashiro Miyuki (Maria in Arakawa under the Bridge, Shinku in Rozen Maiden) as Celty. Celty's voice actress gets the most honorable mention for conveying emotions perfectly without the help of character's facial expressions.<br><br />With all of these golden voices, it's no wonder that Durarara's characters shine brighter than any others.<br><br /><br><br />ENJOYMENT<br><br /><br><br />I'll come clean right here and now and tell you that I prefer Durarara over Baccano. I had more fun with it, I like the way the story connects way more, and I bonded the most with its characters. I recommend it to everyone I can and have rewatched it more than once. Honestly, I couldn't have asked for something more enjoyable than this, and haven't seen anything alike since then.<br><br /><br><br />Ultimately, Durarara is a story of a city. With many different people and situations. With its own urban myths and problems. To quote Izaya, "human beings are the most interesting creatures that you can ever hope to find". I also love humans, and I appreciate a story that can present that to its fullest.<br><br /><br><br />THE SPECIALS: This series has good specials, those that are worth watching. While not essential to the main plot, they are introduced seamlessly into the time-line, corresponding to episode 12,5 and 25. They aren't worth a 10/10, but they're good fun. You get more Izaya vs Shizuo, more of the same fun without any drop on the animation, sound or character quality. However, it goes without saying that there's less depth to it. They would be a good standpoint to introduce a new season, nevertheless, as there are new seasons being introduced, such as Izaya's younger twin sisters.<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNrLKCkpsNLXT8opLUpKLMpMzCvWS8rJTy8uyC%2FRS87P1TcyMDTRNzDUTyktSgRBvYyS3BwABuwS3Q%3D%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3965633152126003931.post-78931916819254006632014-01-27T23:02:00.001-08:002014-01-27T23:02:33.464-08:00A Love Story About MonogatariLet me tell you a story.Bakemonogatari has been and will probably always be my favorite anime of all time.This is a story about how its second sequel lived up to and, in some cases, outperformed its predecessors.This story isfilled with spoilers (and a lot of summary too) for an extremely pivotal point in the the Monogatari series - so readers who have not seen Monogatari Series Second Season (hereon MG2) have been warned.<br><br /><br><br />The main thing that MG2 does unquestionably better than Bakemonogatari is character development.That is not to say that Bakemonogatari is lacking in development, but the paradigm Bakemonogatari focused on was introducing a character, resolving their issues and using them in a supporting role for the remainder of the series (notably not as a supporting role for Senjougahara or Araragi for the series).While MG2 takes a similar approach in that it deals with characters in mini-arcs for each character, it does a fantastic job diversifying all of the characters the series previously introduced.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />TSUBASA TIGER<br><br /><br><br />Our first arc begins with Hanekawa becoming a vagrant because her house burns down and having some we will say "interesting dialogue" with Senjougahara.We also spend the first 4 episodes without Koyomi.Admittedly, I was worried these first few episodes.I didn't want MG2 to have a fate anything like Nisemonogatari - owner of the weirdest scene in anything, ever:<br><br /><br><br />But I was fortunately pleasantly surprised that after the series got the "oddities" out of the way, it had quite a bit of depth and went beyond my expectations.<br><br /><br><br />Hanekawa's character improves significantly in this arc.Frankly, she spends the majority of Bakemonogatari as a pretentious fool and I always had a hard time liking her as anything other than Black Hanekawa.<br><br /><br><br />The flaw in Hanekawa's character is in the fact that she allows herself to repress her negative emotions and for people to trample her.It is quickly revealed that Kako, the tiger that burns down Hanekawa's house is actually Hanekawa's repressed jealousy.She eventually realizes that her negative emotions must be dealt with and that she can't simply isolate herself from negativity.<br><br /><br><br />This really allows Hanekawa to develop some strength because she finally learns to draw on negative emotions like jealousy and anger to be jealous and angry when it is warranted.Her jealousy allows her to finally admit her love for Araragi (followed by his rejection, which humbles her) and her anger finally allows her to stand up to her family and ask for her own room.All in all, this season greatly influences Hanekawa's character and makes her far less commonplace.And she gets spiffy new black and white hair to symbolize her acceptance of Black Hanekawa and Kako the Tiger!<br><br /><br><br />MAYOI JIANGSHI<br><br /><br><br />While the second arc of MG2 is entitled "Mayoi Jiangshi," the arc is much more about the deepening of Shinobu and Araragi's relationship (one of the things Nisemonogatari did well) than it is about Hachikuji.<br><br /><br><br />The entire arc is about time travel when Araragi, on a whim, wishes to return to the past to complete his summer work.Shinobu grants this wish, but they end up going into the past to the day before Hachikuji dies (which it is revealed that Araragi had as a secondary intention).They end up saving Hachikuji, but with extremely negative impacts for the timeline.<br><br /><br><br />We find that Hachikuji positively impacted Araragi by being a ghost and that Shinobu was not so willing to accept Araragi without Hachikuji's advice.This resulted in the entire world becoming partial vampires - consumed by Shinobu who has nearly destroyed the world in this alternate universe.<br><br /><br><br />For me, this was one of the best arcs in the MG2.It reveals that Araragi's relationship with Shinobu is incredibly important and that even the slightest change in events could have negatively impacted the outcome of things in the series.<br><br /><br><br />Fortunately, we get a little fan-service of an adult Hachikuji who brings Araragi a message from Oshino about saving his timeline.The menacing Shinobu of this alternate universe is defeated through Araragi's presence and they return to their own timeline.<br><br /><br><br />The great thing here is that Araragi proves, again, that he can handle these situations through his words and through his relationships.While I was a little disappointed that we didn't get to keep the adult Hachikuji, it was worthwhile to see that our timeline's Araragi had made the right choices in his relationship with Shinobu.It is also fantastic to see that Shinobu and Araragi's friendship is real and not fabricated by Araragi's dominion over Shinobu.<br><br /><br><br />NADEKO MEDUSA<br><br /><br><br />Without a doubt, the Nadeko arc contains the most development for a character, who was previously unlikable.Throughout the arc we realize that Nadeko views herself as a victim and deludes herself into believing that she has become possessed by a snake apparition looking for its corpse.<br><br /><br><br />What results is a little shocking.Tsukihi cuts off Nadeko's bangs (haircuts in this series and others often signify a personality change) and she finally snaps and lashes out in anger at her teacher and class because she can no longer hide her face and emotions.<br><br /><br><br />I for one wasn't sure if I expected a yandere snap out of Nadeko, but she definitely fully realized the trope.Quickly, she becomes a god (not just an apparition) and uses her new Medusa hair tostab Araragi and Shinobu repeatedly.Senjougahara delays their death until graduation, but the character of Nadeko is forever changed.<br><br /><br><br />This arc was incredibly surprising.It begins with the Nadeko we all hate, the quiet and victimized pushover and we end up with one of the best yandere snaps I have seen.It was extremely intelligent to push Nadeko's character in this direction and one of the best decisions they made in this season.<br><br /><br><br />SHINOBU TIME<br><br /><br><br />The following Shinobu arc ends up dealing more with Hachikuji than it does with Shinobu.We learn some extremely interesting things about Shinobu's backstory - her time as a god and of her first minion, but all to explain that Hachikuji is being chased by a dark being because she was not performing as a proper apparition just as Shinobu was not performing as a proper apparition by pretending to be a god.<br><br /><br><br />Hachikuji's fault is that she no longer leads people astray as a ghost because she simply wants to spend time with Araragi.It's great to see that the relationship between Hachikuji and Araragi has developed to this point, but this happiness is quickly met with a bittersweet end to one of everyone's favorite characters as she tells Araragi that she loves him and kisses him goodbye.<br><br /><br><br />Even though we want to be happy that Hachikuji has been able to move on, this scene is incredibly depressing.It is excellent, however, that the show realizes that Hachikuji is not a character that can exist indefinitely and gives her a fitting ending with Hachikuji "biting Araragi's tongue".<br><br /><br><br />Also, I guess we're okay with the loli kiss here because she's technically 20-something.<br><br /><br><br />HITAGI END<br><br /><br><br />The final arc of the series ends with my personal favorite, Senjougahara, and Kaiki (one of my new favorites) figuring out how to deceive Nadeko into not killing Senjougahara, Araragi and Shinobu.This is another arc that lacks Koyomi but the change is perfectly fine when we find that Kaiki is just as charismatic and entertaining to follow.<br><br /><br><br />We find out that Kaiki is not as bad as we were led to believe and also that, almost definitely, he and Senjougahara were once a thing.As much as I don't want to imagine Senjougahara with anyone other than Araragi, he is clearly not that bad of a guy.Well, at least Ononoki thinks so.Yay Peace Peace.<br><br /><br><br />Despite the hard work that Senjougahara and Kaiki put forth, Kaiki is technically unable to "deceive" Nadeko resulting into her going full yandere crazy on him.<br><br /><br><br />Kaiki instead draws upon a part of his character we see develop throughout the final arc - his wisdom and experience.He convinces Nadeko that she should pursue her ambitions rather than be pushed into others' views of her and that she should also stop pretending to love Araragi to escape having to reject other people properly.<br><br /><br><br />While Kaiki speaks to the snake apparition, it is clear who the real snake in the conversation is and that Kaiki is better at speaking honeyed words than any other character in the series.<br><br /><br><br />Anime doesn't do chaotic neutral characters very well usually, but they nailed it with Kaiki, who quickly became one of my favorite characters.<br><br /><br><br />We're left with a huge cliffhanger that makes me want to pick up and read the light novels.Kaiki is wounded (and probably dies) at the final scene and we find out that it is probably Ougi Oshino that is behind all of the oddities in the Monogatari series.Looking back, we realize the connections that Ougi has had with all the characters in the series so far and the negative impact she has on each of those situations.Now we wait to figure out who exactly Ougi is, if Kaiki lives and what will become of the rest of our characters in this intrigue.<br><br /><br><br />While I don't like the open-endedness here, it definitely makes me wanting more to the point that I absolutely cannot wait for the next season.MG2 was definitely what I had hoped to see out of the Monogatari series again and rekindled my passion for the series.Despite some early flaws and the Monogatari series's love of fanservice, I can honestly say I enjoyed MG2 as much as Bakemonogatari.I'm not sure how the characters will be developed in future installments, but we now have a clear enemy and a lot of characters who finally have more than just one face.<br><br /><br><br />FOR ME, THIS SERIES GETS ANOTHER 10/10.<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoFwQ0KgCAMBtATzakEQbdZJSmkn8z1d%2Fvey2Z9YW7lbQL3QPeuaQy3oXL0YWIfOM4sdOJONAz6kay4jCoaDjHRwj9Kbxg%2B' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3965633152126003931.post-91827824059104503992014-01-25T21:40:00.001-08:002014-01-25T21:40:56.293-08:00D-Frag!Adapted from the manga "!" by Tomoya Haruno, this slapstick school comedy with some harem elements is also known as . The show is not like other school comedies "Seitokai Yakuindomo*" or "GJ-bu", but instead it feels like an eclectic mix of "Kitakubu Katsudou Kiroku" and "School Rumble".<br><br /><br><br />The story revolves around male protagonist Kenji, a self-proclaimed delinquent who is actually a nice guy, considering his kindness gets him ensared into the school's game creation club, whose members are all quite eccentric characters.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />Before long, Kenji is dragged into the club's pace of crazy antics and silly games, and he finds himself in the middle of a bitter struggle with the school's other game creation club as well as the target of Roka and Takao's affections.<br><br /><br><br />Next to being a solid and enjoyable comedy show, "D-Frag!" reeled me in with the irresistible lure of featuring a cute loli voiced by Hanazawa Kana, a big breasted tsundere voiced by Itou Shizuka and a trap voiced by Shiraishi Ryoko.<br><br /><br><br />The creators seem well aware that this series' strong point is the high moe factor of several key characters from its main cast, especially Roka and Takao. In fact, they couldn't have picked better voice talents to voice these two irresistibly cute girls.<br><br /><br><br />Likely a conscious choice by the studio or director, aimed to reel in more viewers. A tactic that definitely paid off as far as I'm concerned, considering that watching Roka and Takao's shenanigans is definitely the highlight of each episode for me.<br><br /><br><br />Alas, moe characters featuring great voice work cannot carry a series by themselves, luckily "D-Frag!" has been an entertaining comedy so far, although it isn't particularly the greatest show in its genre.<br><br /><br><br />While "GJ-bu" and "Kitakubu Katsudou Kiroku" had a limited main and supporting cast, "D-Frag!" seems to have a rather large supporting cast with even more side characters being showcased in the opening sequence.<br><br /><br><br />Noticed that similar anime series like "School Rumble" also feature a significant amount of side characters, which can make it seem as some of those characters exist simply to enable specific comedy situation or are but tools to move the plot along.<br><br /><br><br />Considering that "D-Frag" is slated for a single cour of twelve episodes, wonder if we'll really have any significant appearances of all these supporting characters. Or worse, if the studio tries to cram in sub-plots to feature all these supporting characters, that might leave some main characters painfully underused.<br><br /><br><br />Blonde cutie Roka is voiced by Hanazawa Kana, she also voiced Nadeko in "Bakemonogatari", Ruri in "Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai", Charlotte in "IS: Infinite Stratos", Kobato in "Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai", this season she also voices Kosaki in "Nisekoi" and Rumi in "Tonari no Seki-kun".<br><br /><br><br />Saitou Chiwa voices feisty student council president Chitose, she's tackled roles like Aika in "Aria", Humora in "Puella Magi Madoka Magica", Senjougahara in "Bakemonogatari", Tatenashi in "IS: Infinite Stratos", Francesca in "Strike Witches" and Honoka in "Stella Jougakuin C3-Bu".<br><br /><br><br />Rival club president Takao is voiced by Itou Shizuka, she previously voiced Hinagiku in "Hayate no Gotoku!", Koko in "Jormungand", Kaori in "To Aru Majutsu No Index", Haruka in "Amagami SS" and she also voices Hisa in this season's "Saki Zenkoku-hen".<br><br /><br><br />Koshimizu Ami voices club advisor Minami, she's tackled roles like Kallen in "Code Geass", Horo in "Spice & Wolf", Hiwako in "Gingitsune", Ryuuko in "KILL la KILL", Tenma in "School Rumble", Mugino in "To aru Kagaku no Railgun S" and Charlotte in "Strike Witches".<br><br /><br><br />Trap Sakuragaoka is voiced by Shiraishi Ryoko who also voiced Hayate in "Hayate No Gotoku!", Kanako in "Nyan Koi", Kaede in "Mahou Sensei Negima!", this season she also voices Mako in "Saki Zenkoku-hen".<br><br /><br><br />Quite enjoyed "D-Frag!" so far, despite it being a run-of-the-mill comedy anime, it's nonetheless a solid show that might be worth your while if you're looking for a school comedy like "Kitakubu Katsudou Kiroku" or "School Rumble".<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNrLKCkpsNLXT8opTQXh8sSyVL3y%2FKKUgqLU4mK95PxcfSMDQxN9A0N9I2P9FN20osR0fQD0lxGJ' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3965633152126003931.post-45286610680259204052014-01-24T01:31:00.001-08:002014-01-24T01:31:01.610-08:00Check Out Fate Extra CCC's Opening Movie By Anime Studio ShaftMarvelous AQL have released the opening video to Fate/Extra CCC, the second Fate game for PSP developed in collaboration between Type-Moon and Imageepoch. The anime intro has been produced by anime studio, Shaft, recognized for their work on series like Bakemonogatari and more:Fate/Extra CCC will be released in Japan for the PSP on March 28th. The game features a new storyline, along with new characters like Jinako, as well as returning ones such as Saber and Caster from the previous game. Other characters like Kotomine Kirei--who is a store clerk now--have new roles.<br><br /><br><br />Read more stories about Fate Extra CCC & PSP & Videos on Siliconera.<br><a name='more'></a><br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoFwVESQDAMBcATpSnjy20qQjrapsNjuL1dA%2FrM3BXbmbWt5SNzaLnCUny%2FuiOIVx7jMHEcWEzlIL9BW4KSvjgTiQh515bbTtWfrMFQyw%2FQMyC5' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3965633152126003931.post-80687954195769414522014-01-22T20:22:00.001-08:002014-01-22T20:22:10.571-08:00Monogatari Series: Second SeasonThe bee apparition is now gone, and summer vacation where the phoenix apparition averted harm is over. Around Koyomi Araragi and the girls who started a new trimester, apparitions, or perhaps threats even worse, were creeping in ever closer. Tsubasa Hanekawa, Mayoi Hachikuji, Suruga Kanbaru, Nadeko Sengoku, Shinobu Oshino, and Hitagi Senjogahara. Their soliloquies, confessions--and farewells. 6 new stories are starting now. <br><br />Walking to school one day Tsubasa Hanekawa encounters a huge white tiger apparition at a crossroads that talks to her. The next day her house burns down. Homeless, and not wanting to stay with her family, she lies and tells them she has a place to stay, but instead sleeps in the old cram school. She's awakened by an angry and upset Hitagi Senjogahara who ridicules her for worrying her and drags her to her place to stay instead. The two of them soon discover that Araragi has gone missing and has urged them in a text message not to look for him.<br><br />I really liked Bakemonogatari and Nisemonogatari so it's obvious that I watched this too. Oh, and of course happy new year! It's now 2014, I was thinking about that I would write something cool to start this year or put awesome drawing here. But that drawing is ugly and I didn't know anything cool to write, so I watched Monogatari series: second season and write about it. As you know I'm bad at writing a review so I just say that, this was good and I still don't like Sengoku Nadeko B:<br><a name='more'></a><br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoNyUEOgCAMBMAXScF48jcVCRCgS2j9v5zmMMVs3kTK9ilL41Xd05F1wlzEoNOHi3ygAUFm239oWjXpJkLeDSvEFRv9BymUG%2BQ%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3965633152126003931.post-387065699924540712014-01-19T10:56:00.001-08:002014-01-19T10:56:03.386-08:00Bakemonogatari 2 ReviewThe girls of the series receive further exposition and development.<br><br /><br><br />Continuing with the standard Monogatari formula, all of the girls continue to have problems with their respective apparitions, and Ararararagi must help them all. What makes Bakemonogatari 2 different from its first season is the narrative changes perspectives. Instead of being from Arararagi's point of view the whole time, each girl gets their time to really shine and actually tell their story. It's one of the best things that has happened to the franchise. By doing so it gives us full insight as to how the girls think and developing them further.<br><a name='more'></a><br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoFwdENgCAMBcCJoED80W2KvghRKCmNrO9dMRsH0ZQGK7XfMGjn1y%2FRayjm9Kc0SiFuFCLFnTI%2FaNLlZmOtLjnFV7Fcph8PZhqE' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3965633152126003931.post-10897245111192916872014-01-18T21:30:00.001-08:002014-01-18T21:30:37.595-08:00Winter 2014 Harem Hill, Week 3 ? Sort ofI mean, I won't do the whole arbitrary point system thing again, 'cause let's be honest, no one's going to beat SAIKIN, IMOUTO NO YOUSU GA CHOTTO OKASHIINDA GA (IMOCHO for short) this season. Plus, NISEKOI is harmless and I suspect that it'll stay that way for the most part. I mean, Shaft already had its fanservice jollies fulfilled with the BAKEMONOGATARI series so . Regardless, these three shows air at relatively the same time during the week, and maybe it'll be fun to bring back this old feature where we try to highlight anime's more shameless characteristics. Now, the Harem Hill posts are a little different from how I usually write about anime. These will consist of more recapping than analysis, 'cause, well, I'm watching these harem shows so you don't have to. Besides, there's not much analyze.<br><br /><br><br />To take stock, IMOCHO has been about a ghost raping a poor imouto and forcing her into a salacious relationship with her step-brother. Maybe I'm exaggerating, maybe I'm not. Meanwhile, NOURIN has been busying itself with blasting unmarried women over 25 everywhere. Oh yeah, it's also a tale about kids on an agricultural farm school, and how a popular idol recently retired just to transfer in. But none of this is that important! Last -- and kinda least as far as Harem Hill is concerned -- our hero in NISEKOI has to play pretend boyfriend with the rival gang's daughter. Boo hoo for him. Oh, and don't ask me about MAKEN-KI, because I think there's a difference between it and the three shows I'm looking to highlight. The latter three, I feel, definitely aim to be romantic comedies first, silly harem fanservice second. Well, that's the theory anyway. On the other hand, I believe that something like MAKEN-KI is unabashedly fanservice first. Anyway, let's begin.NOURIN EP. 2<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />So you know how "Yukatan" transferred into the school and introduced herself to the class as Kinoshita Ringo? Well bully to that, 'cause right off the bat, this week's episode lets everyone know that Ringo is the retired pop star. Yes, yes, it would have been rather trite to go through the whole "Is she really Yukatan?" for a couple episodes, but then why even bother coming up with the whole Kinoshita Ringo alias if you're just going to ignore it the very next week? Oh well. By the way, the entire time that their sensei is telling them about Yukatan's actual identity, she's licking her lips and everything. Those damn slutty Christmas cakes, y'know!<br><br /><br><br />So the cat's out of the bag. What to do now? Kousaku immediately fantasizes about how he'll eventually bed her. Why of course! After all, he is entitled to her by merely existing. In any case, he shows Yukatan around the campus. By that, it's literally just him doing all the talking and his friends are merely tagging along. We get to learn such interesting facts like how female peacocks aren't as beautiful as male peacocks. Thanks, NOURIN! Then, Kousaku tries to impress the new girl with a sappy story about how the farm school gained a wallaby -- yes, a wallaby in Japan -- for a pet. It's so touching: our hero even slept naked with the wallaby inside a dakimakura. See, if Yukatan plays her cards right, it could be her inside that pillow cover instead.<br><br /><br><br />We then learn stuff like how fertilized eggs are no more nutritious than unfertilized eggs. Yay, facts. What's sad though is how -- despite her age -- Yukatan doesn't know what an unfertilized egg is! But clearly, she's only rendered clueless for a gag. Oh no, how will we ever tell her about the birds and the bees! Chickens doing it is so dirty! I can't tell a pure-hearted girl about that! First off, it's a little weird to me that a guy on a fucking farm thinks that this topic is dirty. It's part of your life, man. Secondly, Yukatan is too pure-hearted for such a dirty story? What does that even mean? Will it traumatize her? Are girls so weak that she'll now have PTSD flashbacks of chickens rocking the casbah? Or will it corrupt her into becoming a raunchy sex-loving ANTI-FEMININE SUCCUBUS like every unmarried woman over 25? Finally, if anything, Kousaku is the dimwit here that you have to protect from the topic of sex. Just look at him now! He's clearly the corrupted one.<br><br /><br><br />Anyway, Kousaku tries to hand the task off to Kouchou, but the latter fails spectacularly when she refers to an unfertilized egg as acondom? We then cut to Becky attempting to teach Yukatan about replant failure, but Kousaka somehow mistakes this for more raunchy sex talk. He's so offended that he jumps in front of the girl and tries to shield her vision from the black board. Yes, please, protect our defenseless Japanese maidens from ever learning about sex or anything that might even resemble sex. Then ten years later, you can rant about how no woman wants to get married and have sex -- that the birth rate is dwindling into nothing -- without a clue as to why these current state of affairs came to be . The real problem is that there's no balance. Kousaku gets to sit there and act like a total idiot, and no one really calls him out for it.<br><br /><br><br />Moving on, the kids play the King Game, and Kousaku tries to get Yukatan to step on his face with her bare feet. I dunno, not even going to judge. But wait a minute, letting her learn about sex is bad, but it's okay for you to get turned on by her feet? Unfortunately for him, Minori keeps ending up being the person Kousaku orders around. Well, the scene plays out just the way you'd expect it to: "The more you step on it, the bigger the barley grows." Uh huh.<br><br /><br><br />The following morning, it turns out that Yukatan doesn't know how to operate a washing machine. Oh those pure-hearted girlsthank god we have a man to train her in the ways of domesticity. But wait! Sex! You have to be ashamed of it! Be ashamed! Right now!<br><br /><br><br />Kousaku: Kinoshita-san ?<br><br />Yukatan: Huh?<br><br />Kousaku: Isn't it embarrassing to show me your laundry?<br><br />Yukatan: Why?<br><br />Kousaku: Because I'm a man.<br><br /><br><br />Yeah, why aren't you awashed in shame?! Why aren't you turning beet red? Sex! SEEEEEX! SEEEEEEEEEEEEXXXXXXXXXXXXX!ahem, anyway, like I said above, there's nothing to balance out Kousaku's idiotic behavior. If he can't save Yukatan from his own lechery, it just means someone else has to step in to protect the poor girl from dirty, sinful sex:<br><br /><br><br />So instead, Minori tries to give Kosakuher panties, but he instantly rejects them. Then everyone fights over Yukatan's panties, including Kei who just showed up out of nowhere. I guess he was eavesdropping or something. Small school, after all. But back to the story, everyone is fighting over the retired idol's panties. Yes, this is actually happening. I must be in some deep circle of hell, I'm sure. It all culminates into a pantsu-picking contest, where we learn the true value of a pantsu. In the end, Kei tricks Kousaku into sniffing panties that had been sitting in the former's armpit for quite some time. A brief respite, I guess. If you could even call it that. We'll end NOURIN's write-up with the following exchange:<br><br /><br><br />Kei: Well, I will take Kinoshita's panties.<br><br />Kousaku: What? That's not fair! Ouch!<br><br />Kei (socks him in the face): You have your own already, don't you?<br><br />Kousaku: Huh? Which one? Where?<br><br />Kei: Inside your heart.NISEKOI EP. 2<br><br /><br><br />Compared to our other two harems, NISEKOI is not that bad. Unfortunately, this isn't really saying a whole lot. Two miserable characters will pretend to like each other until one of them -- almost always the girl -- actually falls in love with the other person. Huh, this puts a whole new meaning to the idea of fake it until you believe it. The question is how long it'll take Raku to come around and like Chitoge back, but seeing as how harem leads are always as dense as a rock, it'll take us all season for him to sort out his feelings. In the meantime, Chitoge essentially gives us a lesson on how to be tsundere, a practice that Shaft is apparently masterful at. Meanwhile, Raku has just as much of a prickly side, but being the male component of a harem, he never goes dere. One must wonder if Japanese men ever go dere long after the marriage has been consummated. For the time being, however, Raku utters condescending shit like "Well, she can be kinda cute when she's seen and not heard."<br><br /><br><br />Oh no, Chitoge won't get his loving yet; the object of his current affections is still the toothless Kosaki. I'm quite sure she's a nice girl, but how exactly does a conversation with her play out? Then when you really think about it, you can't imagine how a conversation with any of these girls would play out. Therein lies the biggest flaw with these so-called romantic comedies. If the central conceit is that the main character will get to know one of these girls and fall in love with them, why is it so hard to actually understand what makes these girls tick? What are their interests? What are their ambitions? Shrug. Although Claude, Chitoge's bodyguard, is unconvinced for now that his lady and Raku are now dating, the problem for the audience is that we'll likely never believe it even when they actually do fall in love with each other.SAIKIN, IMOUTO NO YOUSU GA CHOTTO OKASHIINDA GA. EP. 3<br><br /><br><br />To continue from where we last left off, our two step-siblings are still trapped within the bathroom. Unfortunately for our heroine, she is still completely naked. As such, she tries to hide out in the bathtub, which can't be a very good idea. After all, no harem lead would like a prune for a sister, and his attraction to you is all that matters! Oh right right, he just doesn't want her to pass out. Sure. In any case, good guy oniichan already thought ahead about this. He thus takes off his sweater so that Mitsuki can cover herself up. It would make too much sense to have a towel nearby or something.<br><br /><br><br />The two of them proceed to bond over their precarious circumstances. Yuya's mother died before he could form any memories of her, and naturally, the dad is never around. It's a good thing that the dad has now remarried, continues to be an absentee parental figure, and he's even found a woman who's willing to abandon her own offspring too! Yay! It's a wonder why anime insists that family is so important when it nevertheless portray the parents as, well, pretty much the worst parents ever. The cognitive dissonance is rather puzzling, because while it's true that Japanese dads are usually busy with work, the moms are often around to support and raise their children. So what's the deal, anime?<br><br /><br><br />Mitsuki proceeds to tell her side of the story and it's even worse. At least Yuuya merely lost his mother to something nobody is likely at fault for. Mitsuki's estranged father, on the other hand, was apparently an abusive gambling addict. Gee, a wife of an abusive partner also runs off with her new lovesounds familiar. I mean, I'm sure there are single mothers out there who aren't flighty and in desperate need of male attention, but maybe just not in anime for whatever reason. In any case, the reality is that Mitsuki gets to bounce from a scumbag father figure to an absent one. Again, I'll remind you that, thus far, the anime has tried to portray her as kind of a frigid bitch who isn't nice enough to either her stepbrother or her mom.<br><br /><br><br />Thankfully, our hero is there to proclaim his lack of intent to hurt her. Wow, such bravery. You should get a medal for not wanting to hurt people, especially your own stepsister. Still, this oh-so-touching moment is enough to fill up the chastity belt's meter. So I guess you don't have to knock some socks to get Hiyori into heaven, but then again, the implication here is that familial bonding and the sexual assault from first episode have the same net effect. Yeesh. And since sex between siblings is a whole lot more fun, let's have Mitsuki do that ol' slip and fall just as a rival is about to walk in on her and Yuuya!<br><br /><br><br />With the introduction of a new girl to the story, what are the two critical things we need to learn about her! Ah yes, yes, Yuki used to be Yuuya's childhood friend. Very important; childhood friends hold a very special place in anime. Critical information number two? She has a giant rack! But look, it's not for us guys to drool over or anything. Oh nononono, the fact that Yuki has a giant rack is for Mitsuki. Y'see, Mitsuki is for some reason rather insecure about this very fact. So much so that she's even thought about it all day at school, and -- for good measure -- she thinks about it on the way home from school as well. I've had talks with girls before, and they're always like, "Gosh, all we ever think about is boobs, boobs, and more boobs." Shocker, I know.<br><br /><br><br />So now, for no reason whatsoever, the Mitsuki/Hiyori (Mityori?) combination actually begins to treat Yuki as though she's an actual rival to Yuuya's affections. I call it a combination because although Mitsuki is now exhibiting signs of jealousy at the sight of Yuki, she tells us that these are not really her feelings. Rather, it's Hiyori's possession that's causing her to act all cold and bitchy to both her brother and Yuki. Either way, the message is still the same: girls are just naturally jealous creatures like this. At one point, Hiyori takes control of Mitsuki's body and starts acting all deredere again. Mitsuki whines that all these random mood swings will make people think that she's crazy, but I dunno, maybe anime wants us to think all girls are bipolar. In any case, Mityori goes on the offensive and tries to humiliate Yuki by, uh, pretending to trip and getting a cake to rest neatly on Yuki's boobs. Oh, howembarrassing. There's cake on my boobs. Whatever will I do .<br><br /><br><br />Yuki fights back the only way a girl knows how: with sex appeal!<br><br /><br><br />There's still the matter of there being a cake on her breasts, but hey, that's what the wholesome male lead is for. And while Yuuya is scrambling for a wash cloth, Mityori whines, "I can't believe she'd put on such an effective display of lewdness." Right, spilling cake is supposed to humiliate someone, and now licking frosting off of your finger is also "lewdness." What's next? Are we going to twerk? 'Cause honestly, if a girl ever twerked in an anime, I think she'd just be arrested if we're going to react this way to a finger lick. Mityori, in all her combined brilliance, decides to double-down: if one cake isn't humiliating enough, here'stwo?<br><br /><br><br />No! Not two cakes! I'd rather be naked in front of the entire student body! Won't someone stop this madness? Thankfully, Mityori's better half tackles herself, causing Yuuya to fall headfirst into those twin peaks:<br><br /><br><br />Phew. Random groping is a whole lot less embarrassing than two spilled cakes, I'll have you know! Mityori tires of all the cake-throwing games, and decides to be direct. She straight up asks Yuuya if he prefers small or big breasts. Ever the diplomat, Yuuya replies that he likes both. Somehow, this answer makes Mitsuki's spirit squeal with embarrassment -- damn, embarrassment everywhere -- but her chastity gauge nevertheless fills up ever so slightly. Why? Is embarrassment also potent? No, it's because Yuuya affirmed his love for pettankos everywhere! Oh true lovesteps even begin to appear in the mystical limbo world, which is met with much happiness from Hiyori. Meanwhile, Yuuya sits alone and goes, "Big or small breasts? Duuuuh, wuz dat a riddle?" Honestly though, that gauge looks like it's going to fill up fast when it's only the third episode of the season. I see heartbreak looming on the horizon.<br><br /><br><br />On the following morning, Mitsuki's Aunt Nanami drops by but she appears to be drunk off her rockers. I don't think I've met a responsible adult yet in this entire show. You've got those absentee parents, the drunk aunt, the incest-justifying teacheroh, I guess that doctor that treated Mitsuki when she fainted in the first week was probably an upstanding citizen. Maybe. Anyhow, drunk aunt is up to no good herself. She shows up only to spill water onwell, we've been talking about boobs, so naturally, you might think we're in for some wet t-shirt nonsense. That'd be a smart guess, but ah, y'see, you're not going deep enough. What has been the consistent theme throughout the last two episodes? Yep, Mitsuki's pissing herself. So of course, if we are to spill water anywhere, it must be on Mitsuki's crotch.<br><br /><br><br />H-how did Aunt Nanami even manage that? Pfft, who cares? More water sports, son. Let's even zoom in for a closer look! Which, uh, we'll censor anyway.<br><br /><br><br />Be sure to catch the DVD/bluray for the definitive vision of IMOCHO, wink! Afterwards, Yuki shows up to walk with everyone to school. We also learn that Hiyori might've known Yuki in her past life, but not only that, Yuki might have the ability to see the supernatural. Scintillating developments.<br><br /><br><br />Uh huh. Neither does your audience, I'm sure. That's why in pure eroge fashion, we suddenly find out that Mitsuki forgot to wear any panties to school. If you think a flashing is about to occur, you'd probably be right. For now, let's just have lunch with Mitsuki's best friend. Oh no, it's so windy outside. I wonder why. Yuuya shows up out of nowhere, and suddenly acts all pushy. You know how it is in anime when the guy grabs the girl's wrist forcefully. He's just "holding her hands." No need to freak out. It's completely normal to grab people's wrists like they're little children. Plus, now is really the time for Mitsuki to tell him why she's mad at him! He really needs to know! Even Yuki showing up -- what the hell, are these people magnetically attracted to each other? -- doesn't save Mitsuki from embarrassment. In a moment of weakness, the wind blows and Yuuya gets full view of Mitsuki's almost-bare ass. Twice now, IMOCHO has ended with Mitsuki's utter humiliation. Cool! With that, we're finally done this week.<br><br />Filed under: , , , , , Tagged: , , , , , ,<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoVyFEKgCAQBcATvZ6WH9FtQjYUtQ3d8PrRfE4yew6yqYw3lrFEbVydD3SefufMt0nHP0hnl4aUa8UUKdgwtBv04gcTohZ5' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3965633152126003931.post-4168229180078582212014-01-18T05:55:00.001-08:002014-01-18T05:55:48.109-08:00Anime Best of 2013: Top Female CharactersMan, this took me a while to write. Real life got really busy.<br><br /><br><br />Anyway, it's time to look at the characters that made up 2013. This post will be dedicated to female characters (male characters will be covered next), so expect this post to be filled with plenty of moe. But also expect the actual list of my favorite female characters to go into actual character writing and development.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />SPECIAL RULES: In additional to normal eligibility rules, only one character per show is eligible per list. Other good characters from the same show will be mentioned as honorable mentions. I've also tried to avoid overlap in the lists, though there will still be some here and there.<br><br /><br><br />Of course, there'll also be plenty of beautiful, adorable girls, such as Kin-iro Mosaic's Aya.TOP 10 CUTEST FEMALE CHARACTERS<br><br /><br><br />You are about to be faced with an onslaught of moe. Prepare yourself. "Cuteness" is not determined solely by physical appearance, for the record. Also, for this list, I will simply post the full list and talk about all the entries afterwards, and rather than overloading this post with picspam, I'll simply link to the character descriptions on MyAnimeList.<br><br /><br><br />#10. , Silver Spoon<br><br />#9. , GJ-Club<br><br />#8. , Tamayura ~more aggressive~<br><br />#7. , Kin-iro Mosaic<br><br />#6. , Love Lab<br><br />#5. , Tamako Market<br><br />#4. , The World God Only Knows: Goddesses<br><br />#3. , Non Non Biyori<br><br />#2. , Monogatari<br><br />#1. , Sunday Without God<br><br /><br><br />Honorable Mentions: GJ-Club: Megumi, Geraldine; Tamayura: Maon; Kin-iro Mosaic: everyone; Love Lab: Suzune, Non Non Biyori: Komari, Hotaru; Monogatari: Shinobu<br><br /><br><br />Mayumi is cute in a different way than the others, being more of a down-to-earth, girl-next-door cute. Kirara's cat-like behavior makes her rather adorable despite being the largest of the GJ girls. Kanae is a new character introduced in the new Tamayura season, and her chemistry with the lead character, among other things, make her a great, adorable addition. Kin-iro Mosaic's character designs pretty much make every single character adorable, with Alice being the cutest of them all. Yuiko is about as cute as a tsundere can get, with her remarkable honesty and simpleness foiling any attempt to be serious. Choi is an island girl who comes to the Usagiyama Market to find Dera, and her fish-out-of-water status allows her to get fascinated by a lot of things, which contributes a lot to her cuteness. Shiori has always been the cutest of Keima's conquests, and the "story" she writes with him in the latest season only helpsas does the fact that [spoiler: she is host to the goddess , who is every bit as adorable as she is]. Renge is just full of adorableness, right from the first Nyan-pasu. Mayoi continues to be one of my favorite characters in the Monogatari series, right up to [spoiler: her departure during "Shinobu Time". ;;]<br><br /><br><br />But in the end, there's no one more adorable than Ai Astin of Sunday Without God. I'll definitely be talking more about her later, so I'll save further comments for that.<br><br /><br><br />TOP 10 MOST BEAUTIFUL FEMALE CHARACTERS<br><br /><br><br />Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder, and like the "cutest" list, it includes more than just physical appearance. So just consider this a list of characters I found "beautiful". There won't be too many comments on this one.<br><br /><br><br />#10. , AKB0048 next stage<br><br />#9. , Sunday Without God<br><br />#8. , The Eccentric Family<br><br />#7. , Outbreak Company<br><br />#6. , The Pet Girl of Sakurasou<br><br />#5. , Minami-ke Tadaima<br><br />#4. , Rozen Maiden Zuruckspulen<br><br />#3. , Free!<br><br />#2. , Monogatari<br><br />#1. , Kin-iro Mosaic<br><br /><br><br />Honorable Mention: Monogatari: Hitagi<br><br /><br><br />Just a couple comments to make on the top 3 here. Gou is possibly the best-designed female character in anime, and it helps that she herself is a great character (more on that later). Go figure she comes from a series best known for hot guys... Tsubasa ultimately won out over Hitagi due to [spoiler: her black-and-white "tiger" hair that she gets at the end of her arc, and what that hair symbolizes]. And then there's Ayaya, who manages to be both adorable and beautiful, as one can see from the picture I posted earlier.<br><br /><br><br />TOP 10 SUPPORTING FEMALE CHARACTERS<br><br /><br><br />This is actually a pretty important category, so I'll be talking about these girls a bit more in detail. If MyAnimeList classifies the character as "supporting", she is eligible, though some "supporting" characters I have instead placed in the upcoming lists with main characters because they were just that good. Not that these gals aren't great in their own way.<br><br /><br><br />#10. , Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet - Amidst the story of Ledo trying to adapt to his new lifestyle and Amy's role in that, Ridget serves as a leader aboard the Gargantia. Her trying to come to terms with the responsibility of that role is definitely a significant part of this show.<br><br /><br><br />(Honorable mention: Melty)<br><br /><br><br />#9. /, The World God Only Knows: Goddesses - I definitely recommend checking out the "Tenri-hen" OVAs if you can find them if you want to see Tenri as a main character. Here, as her goddess Diana has already been revealed, the two of them serve a supporting role, and by no means a bad one, as she provides some critical support to Keima during some critical times.<br><br /><br><br />(Honorable mention: Nora)<br><br /><br><br />#8. , AKB0048 next stage - There were so many characters that could have gone here, from various current members of the main group to Megumi of the 76th generation to the various adults and former idols. This show really does make much use of its extended cast. However, Acchan has an interesting role in essentially being a posthumous character, having disappeared some time ago after becoming Center Nova. However, her ideals continue to drive the group, and in the end, she does make some significant contributions to the story.<br><br /><br><br />(Honorable mentions: Way too many to name.)<br><br /><br><br />#7. , Non Non Biyori - Episode 10 was what really sealed this one for me. It's one thing seeing her take care of Renge almost as if she was her own daughter, but seeing how that relationship started from Renge's infancy is really adorable and heartwarming.<br><br /><br><br />#6. , Outbreak Company - If Outbreak Company can be considered a harem by virtue of there being three females interested in the male lead, it's worth noting that Minori, the bodyguard assigned to protect him, is not one of them. The two of them do have a good working relationship (never mind Shinichi's constant noting of her chest), and Minori herself is a great supporting character, being an excellent bodyguard when she needs to spring to action, and also advising those around her with her wisdom. Oh, and she's a yaoi fangirl, but that's secondary.<br><br /><br><br />(Honorable mention: Romilda)<br><br /><br><br />#5. , The Eccentric Family - For much of the show, Kaisei is an enigma. She appears frequently to help out Yasaburo, but never shows her face, either hiding from view or disguising herself like tanuki can. Even when we viewers get to see her, she remains a mysterious character. However, her decisions to stand up to the evils of her father and brothers and her actions are ultimately critical in saving the Shimogamo family.<br><br /><br><br />(Honorable mention: Shimogamo mother)<br><br /><br><br />#4. , Silver Spoon - Plus-sized anime girls don't appear too frequently, or at least they usually aren't drawn as such. Sure, plenty of anime girls are worried about their weight, but most of them usually look like they are of a normal weight. Tamako, on the other hand, is definitely a large girl, and she cares not one iota about her weight. Instead, her mind is on how to make a profit. However, she is not a heartless girl, as we see when the characters visit her family's megafarm. She's definitely an interesting character and just one more example of the strong cast of characters this show has.<br><br /><br><br />(Honorable mention: Mayumi Yoshino)<br><br /><br><br />#3. , My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU - Teachers really ought to get more love. Especially a teacher like Hiratsuka-sensei, who has to deal with people like Hachiman and Yukino almost constantly. (Not to mention such teachers almost always are in their thirties and still single.) And yet, she serves a great role in this show as someone who provides some great counsel to the main cast and helps them out through life: truly a great teacher. And she's not the only great teacher in anime this past year...<br><br /><br><br />(Honorable mention: Komachi Hikigaya)<br><br /><br><br />#2. , Yuyushiki - Better known as "Mom", Yoriko transcends the normal role of teacher to become a motherly figure to the main characters and to the entire school. She herself seems to have accepted her role, and is even willing to invite the main characters over to her place for some hotpot. Definitely a worthy candidate for Teacher of the Year at her school.<br><br /><br><br />(Honorable mention: Chiho Aikawa)<br><br /><br><br />#1. , Tamayura ~more aggressive~ - Chihiro is the childhood friend of main character Fuu from her old hometown, and through the first series was mainly worried about whether Fuu could adapt to her new home. In the sequel, she has instead taken inspiration from Fuu's strength to make a new friend of her own in Tomo. However, in her visit to Fuu's town, she finally gets a chance to make good on an old promise with her old friend, and the moment they share together in episode 8 is definitely one of my favorite moments of 2013.<br><br /><br><br />TOP 10 FEMALE CHARACTER PERSONALITIES<br><br /><br><br />This list is more for "static" characters that don't undergo much in the way of character development, either because they're not a "main" character or because the type of show they're in (usually a comedy or slice-of-life) simply doesn't require it. Though some of them do develop a bit anyway, but their base personality is still what I mainly take into account. I will also note the personality traits of these characters after each entry.<br><br /><br><br />#10. , Robotics;Notes - Eccentric otaku<br><br />#9. , Servant x Service - Snarky cosplaying co-worker<br><br />#8. , Vividred Operation - Factory otaku, rather eccentric<br><br />#7. , Kin-iro Mosaic - Energetic, fun-loving<br><br />#6. , Minami-ke Tadaima - Epic troller<br><br />#5. , Stella Women's Academy, High School Division Class C3 - Caring, supportive<br><br />#4. , The Devil is a Part-Timer - Simple and straightforward<br><br />#3. , My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU - A "normal" little sister<br><br />#2. , Yuyushiki - Highly eccentric and fun-loving<br><br />#1. , Tamako Market - Highly eccentric, and somewhat of a troller<br><br /><br><br />Somehow, I think I like eccentric characters.<br><br /><br><br />TOP 20 FEMALE CHARACTERS<br><br /><br><br />And here we go. The top 20 female characters. Yes, I went ahead with a full 20, because there really were a lot of great characters from this year. This list will also have a mild picspam, with all images courtesy of MyAnimeList. Be warned that this list has a fair number of spoilers, though they will be hidden.<br><br /><br><br />#20. , Attack on Titan<br><br /><br><br />Attack on Titan is a bit stronger with male characters than with females, but Mikasa is plenty good to represent the females of the series. She's an excellent fighter, and much of the series, you'll see her making mincemeat of the Titans. She's also got a well-developed character overall and provides critical support to the characters, especially Eren, throughout the show.<br><br /><br><br />(Honorable mention: Zoe)<br><br /><br><br />#19. , WataMote<br><br /><br><br />Tomoko is quite the character. Half the time you want to hug her because life has it so bad for her, and half the time you want to smack her upside the head for being so stupid over how she's going about trying to make friends and be popular. In terms of being flawed characters, she's definitely one of the most flawed, and she hardly grows, if at all, over the course of the series. Nevertheless, she is definitely one of the past year's most memorable characters.<br><br /><br><br />#18. , White Album 2<br><br /><br><br />Speaking of flawed characters, Setsuna is a great example of a character that has all the appearances of a perfect, has-it-all-together school idol but who is actuallyvery much not so behind her mask. Main character Haruki gets to see the type of person she really is, but even he is not quite ready for how she can get once she gets thrown into the show's main love triangle. Nevertheless, she genuinely wants things to go as well as possible, and it's hard not to cheer for her, even when everything seems to be going wrong.<br><br /><br><br />#17. , Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet<br><br /><br><br />Amy serves a very important role in this tale of Ledo's re-encounter with humanity, as she is his main connection to the strange, new world that he gets thrown into. For someone like Ledo, who has lived in what is really a rather dystopian society, Amy is just the person he needs to show him the real heart of humanity. She also manages to do one really awesome thing during the show, which I won't spoil for those that have yet to see this show.<br><br /><br><br />#16. , Silver Spoon<br><br /><br><br />Aki is definitely a helpful friend (and love interest) to the main character, Yuugo Hachiken. She has a love for horses and in some ways sees Yuugo as like a horse as well (though there are definitely hints that she also has feelings for him). The main reason she makes this list, though, is the part of the show where she invites Yuugo to work on her farm over the summer. She serves almost a similar role to Amy, albeit on a much smaller scale; Yuugo might not come from a dystopian society, but he definitely comes from a dystopian family, and Aki and her family are able to allow him to be a part of a normal, caring family, which helps him grow and face what faces him once he returns to school. I'm looking forward to seeing more of her in the second season.<br><br /><br><br />#15. , Kotoura-san<br><br /><br><br />This girl has had a very rough life growing up thanks to her mind-reading powers; however, over the course of the series, she is able to grow to accept her powers, and even use her experience to help others out. She is able to forgive one character that has greatly wronged her, and is able to also handle things with her estranged mother surprisingly well. Of course, there is also her romance with ManabeHaruka Kotoura is just a great character all-around.<br><br /><br><br />(Honorable mention: Hiyori)<br><br /><br><br />#14. , Oreimo S2<br><br /><br><br />Oh, Kuroneko. It's almost unfortunate you ended up in this show, though that's not so much the fault of the show itself as it is how it ended. At any rate, she has already been a favorite during the first season, and she only gets better in this season as she comes to terms with her feelings for Kyousuke as well as her desires for her friendship with Kirino. It's a shame that such a great character had to essentially be cast off during those Haruhi-forsaken specials, though to her credit, she manages to get in one last awesome thing during those episodes.<br><br /><br><br />#13. , Free!<br><br /><br><br />Go figure that in a show that's best known for its swath of hot guys, its the girl that is one of my favorite characters of the year. Even from a strictly comedic perspective, she has a fun role in essentially being a stand-in character for the show's female watchers, thanks to her sheer love of muscles. Much to her credit, though, her fangirling over muscles in no way makes her a shallow, guy-crazy fangirl; she keeps her composure perfectly fine in front of guys that are interested in her. Beyond that, she's also very competent in her role as the manager of the Iwatobi Swim Club, and she does one very critical thing during the show that pushes the guys forward. She's also very concerned about her brother, in a reasonably-sisterly way.<br><br /><br><br />#12. , Gingitsune<br><br /><br><br />For the resident shrine maiden of the Saeki shrine and the oracle that is able to see Gintaro, Makoto is less like a woman of a divine job and more like an energetic high schooler who can be selfish at times and treats Gintaro less like a divine being and more like a close friend. For all of that, though, she is a character that is easy to relate with, and her cheerful, honest ways make it very easy to cheer for her throughout this little show.<br><br /><br><br />(Honorable mention: Yumi)<br><br /><br><br />#11 (tie). /, AKB0048 next stage<br><br /><br><br />There was no way I could choose between these two. Both of them are already great characters as they are, and they grow in such great ways in this sequel. Of the two, Nagisa is the more "normal" character, being driven mainly by her love of music and AKB0048, and despite not being one of the better idols skill-wise, that love helps move the group forward no matter how bad things get for them. The moment in the finale when she is rewarded for her love and determination (I won't spoil how; you'll have to watch it yourself) is just one of the awesome things about the show's grand finale.<br><br /><br><br />Chieri has had a longstanding love for music and AKB0048, despite her more serious personality. Her dedication to becoming an idol, as well as her skill, make her one of the popular members of the 77th generation of trainees. In addition to all of that, she also has her goal of trying to reconcile with her estranged father. Through all of this, she encounters all sorts of trials (literally, in one case), and despite it all, she manages to come out stronger because of it. Like Nagisa, she also gets rewarded for all of this in a rather incredible way during the finale.<br><br /><br><br />#10. , Little Busters!<br><br /><br><br />Haruka's arc was definitely my favorite of the pre-Refrain! arcs. Haruka herself is a fun, cheerful, and energetic girl, but she starts showing quite some depth during her story arc. She's been subject to a lot of horrible things due to her past, and unlike many such characters who simply suffer through it like an innocent moe girl, Haruka instead takes a more realistic route in lashing out against the world that has tormented her. This makes her much more relatable than most visual novel heroines. Of course, she wouldn't be here if she didn't eventually grow through her arc, and that growth is definitely nice to see. The first season of Little Busters! might not be particularly highly regarded, but Haruka's arc is plenty worth it, in my opinion.<br><br /><br><br />(Honorable mention: Rin)<br><br /><br><br />#9. , My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU<br><br /><br><br />This girl might not be as messed up as Hachiman or Yukino, but she's definitely got her share of problems, particularly with the somewhat popular group of friends that she normally hangs out with. In addition, there's the fact that Hachiman is technically no stranger to her. Over the course of the show, she tries to befriend Yukino while also trying to interact more with Hachiman. It's hard to really say everything I like about Yui; suffice it to say, she feels like a very real character, with all of the troubles she goes through and the way she tries to face everything she has in front of her. Not only that, she provides a bridge between the socially-reclusive Yukino and Hachiman and the social world they inevitably have to come in contact with.<br><br /><br><br />(Honorable mention: Yukino)<br><br /><br><br />#8. , The World God Only Knows: Goddesses<br><br /><br><br />Hoo boy. No way I'm going to be able to talk about this girl without spoilers. Chihiro appears right from the start of the series, and gets her own arc in the second series. In this series, she is one of the prime candidates for being a Goddess host, partly because she's one of the closest to Keima otherwise, and seems to still have feelings for him. Of course, having feelings for someone like Keima cannot be a good thing, and it only gets worse when it's revealed that she does not host a goddess, and has actually been in love with Keima long before he started capturing loose soulsand after having her heart broken, she then ends up finding out about the whole reason why Keima is trying to win the hearts of girls in the first place. Now as an accomplice to him, she has to try to reconcile her feelings for him with his unusual mission, all while dealing with her insecurity over not being a particularly special girl. The final scene of her at the Mai Festival is heartbreaking, but it's representative of her inner strength, even without a goddess inside of her.<br><br /><br><br />(Honorable mentions: Haqua, Ayumi)<br><br /><br><br />#7. , Monogatari<br><br /><br><br />There's a lot we still don't know about Shinobu, in part because SHAFT has still yet to release that prequel Kizumonogatari movie. Until then, what we know about her is that she used to be an incredibly powerful vampire named Kiss-shot Acerola-orion Heart-under-blade, and that after certain events, she lost much of her power (and turned lead male Koyomi into a part-vampire), and is now bound to Koyomi, living in his shadow. She was silent for all of Bakemonogatari before surprising us all in Nisemonogatari for actually being quite spunky and talkative. Her relationship with Koyomi is actually fairly complicated, and as much as she tries to pass herself off as a powerful being that could kill Koyomi at any time, it seems that she is actually rather fond of him. We really get to see what their relationship is like in Kabukimonogatari, and then we get another peek into her history in Onimonogatari; all in all, we find Shinobu as an incredibly interesting character that is far more complex than being just some insanely powerful apparition.<br><br /><br><br />(Honorable mentions: Mayoi, Nadeko, Tsubasa)<br><br /><br><br />#6. , Haganai NEXT<br><br /><br><br />Here's a fun fact: In the first season of this show, Rika was actually my least favorite character. Her highly-perverted ways were pretty funny but ultimately did not give her much in the way of characterization at all. So what happened this season that suddenly made her my favorite character of this series? Well, her perversion is still there, but she goes beyond that to not only really go into the fact that she's a lonely person looking for friends, but really tries to confront Kodaka with his indecisiveness over making friends. From being a background character in the first season that just makes dirty jokes, she plays a large role in the second season, and in the finale, [spoiler: she agrees to be Kodaka's first real friend.] I'm surprised they managed to extract this much depth out of who I thought was just a joke character; she is definitely a big reason why I like the second season of Haganai significantly more than the first.<br><br />Honorable mention: Yukimura<br><br />#5. , MAOYU<br><br /><br><br />If there's one reason why MAOYU was still very good and not a complete disappointment, it is this girl. She, along with her younger sister, were once lowly serfs who were rescued by the main characters when they escaped to try to find freedom. Initially derided by the Head Maid for being "bugs" that do not take control of their own life, she and her sister start learning under both the "Crimson Scholar" (a.k.a. the Demon King) and the Head Maid about being a true human. As she studies under the Crimson Scholar, she really starts to become a strong character, which all comes to a head during episode 9 and her grand speech, which is definitely one of the best moments of this season. There's enough about her to write an entire blog post about, if I can ever get around to it<br><br /><br><br />(Honorable mention: Demon King)<br><br /><br><br />#4. , The Pet Girl of Sakurasou<br><br /><br><br />Misaki, upon her initial introduction, seems just like another hyperactive anime girl intent on causing as much chaos as possible with her boundless energy. However, gradually, we see more depth to this girl, first as she has to deal with her feelings for her childhood friend Jin, made more complicated by the fact that her natural artistic talent exceeds his. Eventually, we see how she views lead male Sorata, and we get a glimpse into the rough life she had until he joined Sakura Hall. All this comes to a point when [spoiler: she makes her own grand speech in order to protect Sakura Hall. I guess there's something I really like about characters that stand up to authority with epic speeches.]<br><br /><br><br />(Honorable mentions: Nanami, Mashiro)<br><br /><br><br />#3. , Tamayura ~more aggressive~<br><br /><br><br />Fuu, or "Potte" as she is frequently called in the show, is the main character of the Tamayura series, which focuses on her growth as she seeks to reconnect with her late father through the camera he left her. At the end of the Hitotose TV season, she has already grown quite a lot in terms of dealing with the loss of her father, and makes a vow to be "more aggressive" the following year. Hence, we have this year's More Aggressive season, where she starts a photography club at her school in hopes of meeting other people who love photography. From there, she meets Kanae, and through their continued photography adventures, she is able to further learn more about her father, among other things. Watching Potte grow over the course of an OVA series and two TV series has been a real joy.<br><br /><br><br />#2. , Sunday Without God<br><br /><br><br />There are great characters in great shows, characters that make a show great, and then there are characters that define a show. Sunday Without God is otherwise a decent show about a world where death does not work normally, and what it means for the people in that world; however, it has become a memorable show due to the fact that we are looking at it through this young girl's eyes. In a world permeated by death, Ai can be described as the very embodiment of life, and arguably just what the world of this show needs in order to help its people seek out what it really means to live. She seeks to do her job as a Gravekeeper diligently, but moreover, she seeks to save as much of the world as possible. At the same time, she grows to understand some of the different views of life and death out there, and comes out stronger because of it. Plus, as I had ranked before, she is easily the most adorable character of the season. Make no mistake about it: Ai is love.<br><br />Literally, since "ai" is the Japanese word for love.<br><br />#1. , Outbreak Company<br><br /><br><br />Taking the title of my favorite female character of 2013 is the young empress of the land of Eldant, Petralka. The first thing to note about Petralka is that she is a very competent ruler, and she is definitely capable of using her authority to get what she wants done, as shown quite well in the last episode. At the same time, the fact that she is still just a 16-year-old girl, and furthermore, one that has had some pretty bad stuff happen to her family, does mean that she does sometimes crack under the pressure, probably best shown in episode 8 when she retreats to her room to indulge in the hikkikomori lifestyle. There's also her growth over the course of the series, particularly regarding how she views half-elves, and especially her relationship with Myucel. A strong ruler and also a strong character in and of herself despite her small stature, Petralka is my favorite character of 2013.Whew, that took a long time to do. The Top Male Characters will be cominglater. "Anime Best of 2013" will take a break while I do some posts on currently-airing shows, particularly the What I'm Watching introductory posts for new shows this season. I might not have this series done before February, but I'll have it done, however long it takes. Here's to hoping that 2014 is as full of great characters as 2013 was!<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoNyEESgCAIAMAXIVqd%2Bo0aho2Io%2FT%2F2uOy2TgRe81cH33XVVxqeq%2Bh5rIKbj4c6APGXoUg0TLQAv%2FuYDqgkMRGkDnOmI3mcmzSPv9VHco%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3965633152126003931.post-89338979179209873332014-01-17T02:45:00.001-08:002014-01-17T02:45:40.310-08:00It starts again...Um, so I started the year with a post mostly in Japanese. Sorry about that. Since I usually watch my anime subbed or raw, occasionally some of my interal reactions come out in Japanese as well. Because of that, sometimes my immediate reaction can only be best expressed in that language rather than English. And it just so happened that I was off the day I watched the last episode of OreImo so I had time to write my thoughts down.<br><br /><br><br />Last year had been uneventful in various ways. Like 2012, there's only a small handful of posts. I bought a whole bunch of toys but had very little time to play with them and it also didn't help that I went back to watching anime for much of my free time.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />A brief list of anime series I've finished watching as follows. It's not a complete list as some anime I'm not sure if I watched in 2013 or 2012.<br><br /><br><br />OreImo<br><br />Infinite Stratos (1st season, watching 2nd season)<br><br />Sword Art Online<br><br />Vividred Operation<br><br />Bakemonogatari (unfinished, uncertain if I'll continue watching)<br><br />Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere (unfinished, same as above)<br><br />Guren Lagann<br><br />Kokoro Connect<br><br />Moyashimon<br><br />Dog Days<br><br />Shingeki no Kyojin<br><br />Moyashimon<br><br />Hanasaku Iroha<br><br />GIRLS und PANZER<br><br />Maoyu<br><br />Madoka Magika<br><br /><br><br />Manga I've been following in 2013 are Bleach, Saki, and since Crunchyroll started rolling out their manga section, UQ Holder, Seven Deadly Sins, Fort of Apocalypse, Coppelion, and Wife is Wagatsuma. I've caught up on all of them except the last two but I'm not sure if I'll continue to follow them especially Wagatsuma.<br><br /><br><br />^One of my favorite scenes in UQ HOlder. Yes, I love gender bender characters. I also love Charles from IS...before she joined the Ichika harem as Charlotte. :p She remains my favorite IS heroine however.<br><br /><br><br />Why she so cute as boy... orz<br><br /><br><br />It's old news that I have too much toys but what really hit me recently was just how much. The impact is driven home even deeper since much of my newer toys haven't been opened and those take up much more space due to the packaging. It's about time I take a look at my older toys and decide which I want to dispose of and how as well as a closer look at my unopened purchases.<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoFwUEOgCAMBMAX0QXiid8UTYAELLF70N8708ldgHzRvmqv1GnNt1FOW8gxHYgJg8GpDz1o03FL55o%2FRRoUCQ%3D%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3965633152126003931.post-82292658824957015372014-01-16T12:22:00.001-08:002014-01-16T12:22:14.467-08:00Top 20 SeiyuuIt's been a while since I've posted my Now it's time to let the fangirl loose.<br><br /><br><br />I was planning on giving reasons for each person, but I realized they'd all be the same: vocal versatility, wide variety of roles, etc. So instead I singled out a role that particularly stood out to me and talked about that.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />20. Makino Yui - Sakura (Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles) - I wish she was cast more often, too. Considering all the moe, I'm surprised she only gets about a single role every other year or so, because her voice is adorable. She has a lot of musical talent as well, and her singing isn't so bad. She sings a lot throughout Tsubasa. which is also the role she's most famous for. I hope she gets more than one role this year.<br><br /><br><br />19. Uchiyama Koki -Usumi Natsuki (Tsuritama) - He first got started as Roxas from Kingdom Hearts, and then had his anime debut as Soul (Soul Eater) in 2008. Since then he's really made a name for himself and has been cast as a lot of lead roles with a variety of personalities. Excluding Roxas, my favorite of his characters is probably Natsuki (Tsuritama). He cracked me up a lot.<br><br /><br><br />18. Saitou Chiwa - Senjougahara Hitagi (Bakemonogatari) - Saitou Chiwa's performance is one of the best things about an already excellent character. I think it's definitely the role that gained her prominent attention, and now she's also a Shaft seiyuu staple. (Pun not intended.)<br><br /><br><br />17. Tamura Yukari - Furude Rika (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni) - Her voice is naturally nasally sounding. I'm not gonna lie, when she uses her really really high-pitched voices (I.E. Harime Nui (Kill la Kill)) it annoys me. But she still gets cast in a lot of things for a reason. I also find it hilarious that two of her main typecasts are the genki girls and the cryptic, mysterious girls such as Rika. (Whom I guess is actually both, so there you go.)<br><br /><br><br />16. Sakamoto Maaya - Nino (Arakawa Under the Bridge) - Even though her singing voice is very high pitched and even annoying sometimes (see "Buddy Complex"), her speaking voice is surprisingly low and chill. It's a shame she doesn't get cast more often, but at least she has a lot of good roles under her belt.<br><br /><br><br />15. Wakamoto Norio - Oskar von Reuenthal (Legend of the Galactic Heroes) - The ultimate gar voice. Wakamoto is the man, and it reflects in the roles he gets. Oskar was one of my top favorite characters in LoGH which is definitely a manly show.<br><br /><br><br />14. Ogata Megumi - Ikari Shinji (Neon Genesis Evangelion) - She should be cast more as well. Considering how well known she is for voicing Shinji, and how well she acts, I'm surprised about how sparse her resume is.<br><br /><br><br />13. Ohara Sayaka - Ichihara Yuuko (xxxHOLiC) - Yuuko was the only role I really identified with Ohara Sayaka for a really long time. When I listened to her normal tone of speaking on tone of the Horitsuba Gakuen Drama CDs, I thought it was hilarious at how soft-spoken and demure she sounded.<br><br /><br><br />12. Sugita Tomokazu - Star (Arakawa Under the Bridge) - Even though Sugita Tomokazu is excellent at portraying serious and heartfelt characters, I like him best when he plays the hammy and comedic ones. No one does ridiculous and over the top like he does.<br><br /><br><br />11. Hisakawa Aya - Keroberos (Cardcaptor Sakura) - Definitely one of the most versatile seiyuu out there in my opinion. Cardcaptor Sakura was the first anime I watched in Japanese, so obviously I first heard Hisakawa Aya as Kero. Such a memorable performance.<br><br /><br><br />10. Fukuyama Jun - Shimao Atsushi (Natsuyuki Rendezvous) - I don't even know how to describe his voice it's just so distinct. This guy is so famous for his comedic and over-the-top characters, so hearing him as a passive aggressive ghost was extremely refreshing.<br><br /><br><br />9. Nakamura Yuuichi - Okazaki Tomoya (Clannad) - Usually he gets the bishie roles. Even though I'm not really a Clannad fan anymore, Tomoya still stands out to me because it's one of the first roles I first heard him as. His other role as a broody KyoAni bishie, Oreki Houtarou is also a good one.<br><br /><br><br />8. Sakurai Takahiro - Masakaki ([C]) - Even though I didn't really like much about [C], I chose Masasaki because it's really going against typecast. Sakurai Takahiro is primarily cast as bishies and also broody characters. So hearing him as a Faust-esque maniacal clown was pretty cool.<br><br /><br><br />7. Paku Romi - Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood) - Most famous for portraying younger males, and Edward is definitely my favorite. Paku Romi gave such a powerful performance as Edward, and in both incarnations of Fullmetal Alchemist, too. I do love it when she plays women, though.<br><br /><br><br />6. Miyano Mamoru - Okabe Rintarou (Steins;Gate) - Another guy who frequently portrays pretty teenage boys. I was actually pretty shocked when I saw that Miyano Mamoru was the one behind Okabe. I had no idea that he could make his voice that deep and manly sounding. I wish he played more adults.<br><br /><br><br />5. Ono Daisuke - Hosaka (Minami-ke) - He got famous for his role as pretty boy Itsuki from Suzumiya Haruhi, so he plays bishies pretty often. This is why his role of Hosaka is awesome because the entire character is a spoof on the archetype. Hosaka is basically the only thing that made me laugh in the Minami-ke series, and Ono Daisuke does an excellent job at voicing him.<br><br /><br><br />4. Kawakami Tomoko - Tenjou Utena (Revolutionary Girl Utena) - As if there was any doubt that I would choose Utena's performance. Kawakami was chosen as the role because she came off as much more natural and also naive when she was auditioning. I wouldn't have wanted Utena portrayed any other way, and I'm glad the people who were casting went with Kawakami's version of the character. RIP, Kawakami.<br><br /><br><br />3. Hiroshi Kamiya - Natsume Takashi (Natsume Yuujinchou) - One of Shaft's flagship seiyuu. I think he needs to stop being cast as teenagers so often because he really doesn't sound like a teen that much anymore. Natsume is a bit of an exception though.<br><br /><br><br />2. Ishida Akira - Nagisa Kaworu (Evangelion) - Ishida Akira has a tendency to play teenage boys (often with white hair) who are pretty awesome and who usually end up kicking the bucket. Kaworu is my favorite of those. I do wish they didn't die, though. I like Ishida Akira's white-haired pretty boys.<br><br /><br><br />1. Mizuki Nana - Alois Trancy (Kuroshitsuji II) - This should've been obvious. In retrospect, I really don't like Alois too much. But hearing Nana portraying an insane character is a rarity enough, no less voicing a male character. Either one should happen more often, but I just miss hearing her in anime in general.<br><br /><br><br />The top few were pretty easy, but it got difficult as I kept making this list. There are still a fuck ton of amazing seiyuu that I love and didn't include on this list. But I'll mention some of them right here so I don't feel as bad: Seki Tomokazu, Saiga Mitsuki, Yamaguchi Kappei (saw him at Otakon '08), Kuwashima Houko, Namikawa Daisuke, and Fujiwara Keiji. (Of course I'm still missing some people.)<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoFwWEKgCAMBtAT6Tcl%2BtFtokYK6mSbRLfvveI%2BD8Cks5c6HnbWcbb4it5T2Sxe0pEpbaCEtMNlhkzBuH5r4QfgWBXD' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3965633152126003931.post-76025235057267333082014-01-16T10:55:00.001-08:002014-01-16T10:55:18.276-08:00Winter Stream: Nisekoi: First ImpressionsI know another series I'm reviewing but it's honestly because legal streaming services have been able to get more series. That being said this is one I picked up simply because of the studio and Director working on it, the story itself is that of Raku the son of the leader of a Yakuza clan and his goal to not get sucked into the criminal underworld of his Father and the sham relationship with the other heir of a rival clan the curt, rough spoken, and tom boyish Chtoge to forge a peace between the two factions. While he harbors a crush on the soft-spoken and traditionally "Feminine" Kosaki Onodera, all while he still remembers the promise he made ten years ago to get married to a girl when they where both children and he has a locket that can only be unlocked by the girl's key. It's a clichpremise that's been done in series ranging from Ken Akamatsu's Love Hina where it felt unbelievable and stretched the bonds of credulity, to the visual novel Snow Sakura. In this Raku is at least believable interested in keeping the promise and even harbors doubts about whether it really still matters or not, making it if not terribly original it's at least believable and relatable. Of the two obvious love interests the more interesting of the two is Chtoge who while coming off as a classic Tsundere is also shown to have a softer side and Raku despite finding her insufferable most times is at least willing to help her out when he sees she needs it. While Onodera is mostly a cute archetype with no real personality. What makes this watchable beyond the potential character growth and the mystery of who "the promise girl" is. Would be the fact that Studio Shaft known for making such odd and challenging Anime as Bakemonogatari and Puella Magi Madoka Magica and directed by Akiyuki Shinbo (who directed one of my all time favorite Anime Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha). From its use of filters and colored lighting to quick cuts and strange jarring camera angles and cuts it looks like nothing now in the stable of Shonen Jump Anime feeling inventive and refreshing in its odd use of surrealism and odd touches such as the flash back showing Raku's promise with the girls as a silent black and white movie made to look like it's running on eight millimeter film stock. As of this episode it's a very good genre piece with an adventurous aesthetic that helps make the more hackneyed character and story elements bearable.<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoFwVEOgCAIANATKdr66jbWSFkCDthat%2B%2B9EbEOAG7SGwpa%2F%2FI5tfvSyJcybKXuUCq8JIGWPAwbJyHHRyndZB6JeBm6k4rnETx%2FEgcfMw%3D%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3965633152126003931.post-65189105334772116582014-01-15T23:08:00.001-08:002014-01-15T23:08:44.104-08:00Learning Japanese from ANIMEso I did my learn japanese via anime. I don't believe in "learning japanese watching anime" which most people im' sure use with the connotation of binge-watching crap with english subs. you gotta do something in between otherwise you're not gonna pick up anything. So it was as fruitful as and .with all the japanese words, grammar, and expressions that I encountered. Because I like the show and I know exactly what the hell is going on and the personalities of the characters, the dialogue is memorable and a great source to learn japanese from.some of the stuff I've encountered before so my encounter with those with this series served as good encounters to really internalize and understand the<br><br /><br><br />meaning and the way you use it. some stuff i ran across it for the first time ever which is really exciting when the words piques my interest.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />I must say the GENERIC I want to watch japanese anime without english subtitles is a daunting goal lol and more impotrantly IT PISSES ME OFF . and it really depends on the anime and your amount of free time lol. I would recommend redefining as understand x % of x anime on FIRST-WATCH without fast-forwarding /re-winding like we watch our shows in english because vague goals doesn't do anything for anyone except piss people off including the goal-setter. Personally I don't think i'll ever reach 100% lol because 100% is wowyou knowknow knwo your japanese as in you you spend alot lot lot of time doing stuffin japanese and you can catch it so well.Like I said, I use the chiebukuro because I cannot catch what was said and that's because i just can't or i do not know the words.<br><br /><br><br />I did the shtick here that i did with iron leaguer. And so here's the link to the lines that I transcribed and/or japanese people transcribed for me from chiebukuro (it was mostly 1 or 2 peoplethey're VERY VERY KIND). it's either transcribed because i want to, i couldn't catch what they said, or there was a new word or grammar or smething that i wanted to learn or it intrigued me. i think if you have this you should have no problem catching the rest yourself (if that's still too hard theni guess yo need to read and listen more). i know that all the hard to catch lines or hard words are transcribed.i also pasted the definitions and explanations and whatnot . i added some of the lines to my anki deck but definitely not all of them.<br><br /><br><br />My thoughts about the show. I enjoyed it a lot and i know slayers next is even better! i loved the funny filler episodes for slayers.there were a couple episodes that were just eh. anyways, one of the important parts of this show is the climax aka the big fights between lina and you know who. i thought it was really well done. it was exciting, well-animated, tense, and everything it should be. not to mention they added in comedy in the middle of all that AND made it work. I can say this because I watched it in japanese and found out what i didn't know that show is WELL-written, and well-thought out. NO BAKEMONOGTARI IS NOT WELL-writteni hate the annoying people who are duped by bakemonogatari thinking that it's deep and well-written and all this crap just beause they talk a little strange for a little bit too long at a speed that's a little bit too fast and they don't understand japanese andHYPE THE SHIT OUT OF IT. the dialogue is just shitimo and i refuse to listen to it and if you want to read about that in japanese checkout accessup.org<br><br /><br><br />I loved the animation with its 90sness like the color scheme. just the feel of it. i have a feeling that half the people who bitch about 90s anime animation watch shit quality fansubs or somethingi really prefer this over any generic anime that came out in 2013 that look like erige and or ln adaptations with the soulless fake fake characters. the bgm is well-fitting. They chose the song of dragon slave this season and kept using it for ever and ever and they chose right. voice acting is also phenomenali noticed in one of the eps, this minor voice actor to the minor character was really emotionless in his talking lolit made me lol because i was re-listening to something in that area for the lines.<br><br /><br><br />i posted some gifs and screenshtso on tumblr<br><br /><br><br />the zip.rarof the screenshots and gifs are in the if you want to make icons or whatever like them people on LJ<br><br /><br><br />I'm looking back at my iron leaguer post and i notice i wrote a ridiculous long love letter to it lolpart of it is because I like it a lot and the show is 52 episodes and another part is that the show's not that well-known so one of the things i can do as a fan to spread the wonderfulness of this show is to write about it. for slayers , the whole franchise, is pretty popular and i'm sure lots of people wrote wonderful things about the show with their writing skills and passion. i don't feel the need to go out of my way to write on and on. i think if you want to know about the show just watch it. it's the most logical action to take.it's more accessible compared to iron leaguer and battle athletes victory.<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNrLKCkpsNLXT87IL8rPS8%2FI1CvPL0opKEotLtZLzs%2FVNzIwNNE3MNQHksU5iZWpRcX6AMnJERk%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3965633152126003931.post-66400395789456468972014-01-14T07:46:00.001-08:002014-01-14T07:46:14.046-08:00Anime for Cancer Research, with thanks to @hanabeeofficialAs noted in the I do NOT retain review copies for personal use. If I like it enough, I'll buy my own.<br><br /><br><br />That does leave me with more review copies from Hanabee that I'll be able to auction off for charity at SwanCon or Continuum. So once a month I'm going to conduct a sort of giveaway with the goal of raising money for cancer research.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />As I've noted before, and the chance to use these review copies to support cancer research is too good to pass up.<br><br /><br><br />THE RULES<br><br /><br><br />* Once a month I'll post a list of titles for the monthly donations.<br><br />* Australian residents can then leave a comment indicating how much they are prepared to donate to a cancer charity to win a particular disc (don't forget to tell me which disc you want)<br><br />* The minimum pledge is 1/3 retail price<br><br />* The highest pledge will win the disc<br><br />* I will close the comments after about two weeks with a final comment identifying the winners.<br><br />* This is an honour system, I trust my readers to do the right thing.<br><br />* I will then privately email the winners to obtain snail mail details (again within Australia only), and send them the disc(s).<br><br />* I will pay for the postage.<br><br />* I will match all winning pledges up to 2x retail per disc.<br><br /><br><br />THE JANUARY DISCS<br><br /><br><br />To get things started, here's the list for January:<br><br /><br><br />* Arakawa Under the Bridge Season 1 - DVD<br><br />* Arakawa Under the Bridge Season 2 - DVD<br><br />*- DVD<br><br />* Bakemonogatari Part 2 - DVD<br><br />*- Blu-Ray<br><br /><br><br />Acknowledgements<br><br /><br><br />I'd like to thank Hanabee for providing the review copies, and my readers for helping me put these to good use.<br><br /><br><br />[1] The fan auctions generally, and wisely, limit the number of lots each person can put in.<br><br /><br><br />[2] Forgetting to take review copies TO .<br><br /><br><br />[3] Clicking on the Hanabee tag might give you some clues as to the coming giveaways. Or it might not.<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoNykEOgDAIAMEXIWo8%2BRuK1BJtaSiJ37eXzRy2RPQTsatTyLB0L5%2F51V3GWNgq7ut24LrhLDWtAtkcmBqLw5yEnAt8GgWiUHsGhMEEJRHLWVnpxR8CIyPz' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3965633152126003931.post-63972151695149233462014-01-13T04:34:00.001-08:002014-01-13T04:34:37.328-08:00Top 13 Anime and Top 13 Characters of 2013Here is my final review for the anime that aired in 2013.Focusing only on the most excellent, most remarkable and most memorable of 2013, this review will document and explain my favorite 13 characters of the year and my favorite 13 anime of the year, too.It's been a rather exciting year of anime, especially with the recent publications of my season reviews for 2013, so let's see how everything comes together with one last look at the anime of 2013.<br><br /><br><br />Just a quick note before beginning: the list is just on the television anime of the year and does not include movies or OVAs.Furthermore, it includes any anime that aired over the year regardless of when it began or when it ends, so some ofwill be appearing again.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />TOP 13 CHARACTERS OF 2013:<br><br /><br><br />HONORABLE MENTION: YETI (NAMIUCHIGIWA NO MUROMI-SAN)<br><br /><br><br />Had Yeti been given more screentime, she might actually rank on the list.Had Yeti been given more screentime, Muromi-san would have definitely been a better anime.Had Yeti been given more screentime, I'd be happier.It's rare to see a character have such an impact, but Yeti's limited screentime isn't really enough to warrant keeping her on the list.A real shame since nothing came close to Yeti in Muromi-san.<br><br /><br><br />13. AKI MIKAGE (SILVER SPOON)<br><br /><br><br />A pure and gentle heart, Aki is always found with a smile on her face and her hand extended, willing to help anyone in trouble.Not only is she adept and knowledgeable about the agriculture business, she also has initiative and is willing to do what it takes to keep her family business alive or to help her friends.Her personality is heartwarming and it's no wonder why everyone around her enjoys her sincere company.<br><br /><br><br />12. KONA "FRAU" FURUGOORI (ROBOTICS;NOTES)<br><br /><br><br />The second half of Robotics;Notes demonstrated the depth, complexity and fears of Frau turning her character from a charming comic relief to one of the most interesting in Robotics;Notes.Still, her personality never faltered and actually grew as a result, keeping her humorous demeanor intact while also playing a vital role in the story and to the other characters.<br><br /><br><br />11. HAKAZE KUSARIBE (ZETSUEN NO TEMPEST)<br><br /><br><br />Hakaze was the mysterious and sexy princess/witch who singlehandedly drove much of the story of Zetsuen no Tempest.When she was rescued, her role greatly expanded and we saw every bit of her character including her comedy, her intelligence, her passions and her fears.When she was around the other characters, she really shined as a protagonist, especially with the relaxed, comical atmosphere in the second half of Tempest.Easily the best character from a rather solid cast in Tempest.<br><br /><br><br />10. ZOHANGE (SHINGEKI NO KYOJIN)<br><br /><br><br />The Scouting Legion's Squad Leader, Zowas an obsessive and fanatical girl who had a passion for understanding the Titans that preyed on humanity.Her quest for knowledge and understanding was unlike anyone else in the series and the distinction of her character would influence the story and characters in tremendous ways.Not only that but she turned out to be the funniest character, too, with frequent jokes based on her and her manias.She was the only one of her kind in Shingeki no Kyojin and really brightened up the series for me.<br><br /><br><br />9. TOMOKO KUROKI (WATASHI GA MOTENAI NO WA DOU KANGAETEMO OMAERA GA WARUI!)<br><br /><br><br />You can't help but feel bad for Tomoko but it's hard not to laugh when you realize how silly or stupid or narcissistic she is.And everything that's miserable or deplorable about her or her actions comes across as cute or humorous.It's what makes our lovable loser who she is, and it helps us develop an honest connection to Tomoko, even if you haven't experienced the same number or same types of failures as her.And when she has those small, little victories, her smile is sincere and you can tell how elated and cheerful she is.Her emotions and reactions are what make her and what make Watamote an unforgettable experience.Now, if only she didn't care so much and was like that rare, happy Tomoko more often<br><br /><br><br />8. YURA YAMATO (STELLA JOGAKUIN KOUTOU-KA C3-BU)<br><br /><br><br />The growth and maturity of Yura Yamato is one of the best stories of any anime this year and a huge reason why Yura grew to be one of my favorites of 2013.She began as nothing more than a cheerful and na ve schoolgirl, hoping to have fun and makes lots of friends at school only to be swept up in fear, regret, selfishness, scorn, obsession, loss and isolation.And let's not forget her overactive imagination which was also fascinating to behold.Fortunately for Yura, her story ends on a happy note thanks to her wonderful cohort of friends, but the journey to how she got there is what makes her one of my favorite for this year.<br><br /><br><br />7. JOSEPH JOESTAR (JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE)<br><br /><br><br />Joseph was a significant improvement over Jonathan, thanks largely to his hilarious personality and his creativity.Joseph really dominated the Battle Tendency arc with his eccentric and wild behaviors, often turning serious scenes into jokes without any hesitation.And his creativity during battles made every fight intriguing and unpredictable.JJBA really improved during the Battle Tendency arc thanks to its characters and none were more influential than Joseph Joestar.<br><br /><br><br />6. HITAGI SENJOUGAHARA (MONOGATARI SERIES: SECOND SEASON)<br><br /><br><br />Senjougahara has always been my favorite girl in the Bakemonogatari franchise, but I often felt like her character was underutilized in the various stories.With this sequel taking the perspectives of various characters, we saw multiple layers to Senjougahara's character, painting her character much deeper and more complex than ever hinted at.She also showed how much of a true friend she is when rescuing Tsubasa and how she supported her through her struggles.Her character shined brightest during Hitagi End and revealed just how troubled she is when paired with the confident Kaiki.She really is a fascinating character and I'm thrilled we got to learn more about her and see more of her in this sequel.<br><br /><br><br />5. MAKO MANKANSHOKU (KILL LA KILL)<br><br /><br><br />Mako is the essence of pure energy.Not only is she cute and fun to be around but she is always doing whatever she can to help Ryuuko out, even if it means putting her life in danger.She is the very definition of a 'best friend' and supports Ryuuko any way possible.She's always smiling and hyper and bouncing around the scenery making her the best source of comedy in KILL la KILL.She really provides a spark that no one else possesses in KILL la KILL and her role in supporting Ryuuko is irreplaceable.<br><br /><br><br />4. AKANE TSUNEMORI (PSYCHO-PASS)<br><br /><br><br />Watching Akane develop as a detective and as a person in Pscyho-Pass is nothing short of astonishing.Her character began as a blank slate and was carefully molded and sculpted into a strong, confident woman who developer her own philosophy of justice and stuck to it.Although she eventually conflicted against her friends and her society, Akane remained strong.Additionally, she was still a sweetheart on the inside and worked to make her life and everything around her better.I can't wait to see what happens next when Psych-Pass returns in 2014.<br><br /><br><br />3. MOTHER KUROKI [TOMOKO'S MOTHER] (WATASHI GA MOTENAI NO WA DOU KANGAETEMO OMAERA GA WARUI!)<br><br /><br><br />If you know me well enough, you know exactly why this minor character is my third favorite for 2013.Like Tomoko, you can't help but feel bad for everything that happens to Tomoko's mother.Not only does she have to take care of a disconnected family with her father working late and her son busy at school, with sports and having a social life, but she has an ungrateful, lethargic daughter that constantly causes her trouble.But everything she does for Tomoko, even when she's smacking some sense into Tomoko, she's doing it with motherly love.She's really the only character who genuinely cares about Tomoko and tries to help her thought Tomoko constantly resent hers, never thanks her and fails to listen to her advice.Still, she continues to help and support her troubled child whenever she can.And for that, I can't help but admire Tomoko's mom for her compassionate personality, her unyielding resilience and her love for her family.<br><br /><br><br />2. DEISHU KAIKI (MONOGATARI SERIES: SECOND SEASON)<br><br /><br><br />With Kaiki transitioning from antagonist to protagonist, Monogatari Series explored this fascinating character further adding to his complexity and even going as far as to completely reverse the perspective of his role in the series.Not only do we view Kaiki as a tragic hero now but we begin to understand his personal philosophy and how he justifies or rationalizes his actions and behaviors.Beyond that, Kaiki is a suave and sophisticated gentleman who incorporates dry humor into his conversations and intelligence into his dialogues.He's easily the most mesmerizing and remarkable character in the franchise and I'd love to learn more about him if given the chance.<br><br /><br><br />1. RYUUKO MATOI (KILL LA KILL)<br><br /><br><br />Ryuuko was unrivaled as a character this year thanks due to the constant dichotomy of her character.Her passion and determination for revenge illustrates her character as a hot-headed tomboy though this is an exterior she constructed due to her troubled past and fragile nature.Her quest for vengeance and bloodlust is really an excuse for her to get to know her father since she regrets never having done that when she had the opportunity.Ryuuko constantly struggles and fights and projects a tough image despite the fact she just wants to live a happy and comfortable life with family and friends.She's really torn between two worlds and doesn't know how to exist or thrive in either.Not only that but she's a perfect match for my favorite archetype and appearance in anime and the constant fanservice is a plus, too.It's no wonder that she became and I'm excited to see what happens to her when KILL la KILL continues into 2014.<br><br /><br><br />FAVORITE OP AND ED OF 2013:<br><br /><br><br />OP: PSYCHO-PASS OP2 (OUT OF CONTROL)<br><br /><br><br />If MONOGATARI SERIES: SECOND SEASON OP4 were done in the retro style throughout without reverting back to the modern style, it would have won.But instead, my favorite opening of 2013 is one which used a gorgeous retro style throughout with brilliant overlays of color on a pencil sketch world.The shading, lighting and texture really bring out the visuals in this.Plus the song is catchy, too, and one of my favorite from this year.<br><br /><br><br />ED: JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE (ROUNDABOUT)<br><br /><br><br />I always love it when an ending song begins playing during the finale, climactic moments of the episode and no ending did this transition better than Roundabout from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.Although this was a carryover from 2012, the visuals were improved by overlaying a flashlight on mysterious ruins rather than blood flowing through a sculpture.I also like this latter part of the song, so I found what was one of the best EDs of 2012 had become the best of 2013.<br><br /><br><br />TOP 13 ANIME OF 2013:<br><br /><br><br />HONORABLE MENTION: DEATH BILLIARDS<br><br /><br><br />I was thinking of putting TEEKYUU or GARDEN OF WORDS here but decided on Death Billiards, an OVA from the Anime Mirai 2013.While LITTLE WITCH ACADEMIA stole the spotlight from this year's Anime Mirai, being the most popular thanks to its charm and spirited animation, it was Death Billiards which stood out to me as the best of the four Anime Mirai anime.Not only did it have a superior story and fascinating characters but the style and focus of the animation caught my attention and made the experience memorable.Keep an eye out for Yuzuru Tachikawa and Shinichi Kurita.<br><br /><br><br />13. LOVE LAB<br><br /><br><br />Love Lab was a delightful surprise thanks largely to its charming nature and the chemistry between its cast of characters.I always expected the series to go stale or to focus too heavily on romance, but the comedy was always fresh, hysterical and always endearing.I'm often hard on grading comedies, so the score and ranking may seem low, but this was one of my favorite anime of the year and would rank above several anime ahead of this if I were ranking on that scale alone.<br><br /><br><br />12. UCHOUTEN KAZOKU<br><br /><br><br />The beautiful story of a struggling tanuki family, Uchouten Kazoku ended up being a favorite through its memorable cast of characters and its detailed, dazzling art style.The anime was also humorous, captivating and intellectual.Furthermore, the culmination of events and storylines at the end finished the series with a heartwarming message and left me extremely satisfied.I'd love to see what happens next but it ended so well, I don't want to disrupt this content feeling.<br><br /><br><br />11. KAKUMEIKI VALVRAVE (VALVRAVE THE LIBERATOR)<br><br /><br><br />What helped make Valvrave memorable were its unexpected twist and turns and shocking developments.The series was a wild and entertaining ride with frequent mecha fights, an extensive cast of appealing characters and a vibrant and excellent art style that brought everything to life.The ranking here is a ranking for both the Spring and Autumn seasons together, though if they were separated, they'd be about this ranking with not much separating the two.<br><br /><br><br />10. KYOUSOGIGA (TV)<br><br /><br><br />Kyousogiga is a remarkable anime that features a solid cast, an intriguing, mysterious story and an unforgettable world where everything takes place.The whole series is entertaining and enjoyable, a delightful adventure that explores the setting and closes with some beautiful characterization while revealing the story itself.The themes and parallels are robust in this series and the art is imaginative, energetic and fun.Easily one of the best anime of the year.<br><br /><br><br />9. SUISEI NO GARGANTIA<br><br /><br><br />Although I do have some complaints with Gargantia, the anime is still one of my favorites thanks to its outstanding cast of characters, the influential art style and a magnificent setting that proved to be one of my favorite in 2013.Ledo and Chamber really drove the anime with their constant efforts in exploration and understanding, especially when the two allies would quarrel with each other based on their growth or lack of comprehension.The setting itself is extraordinary and one that I cherish, especially with its high-level of detail and how it was emphasized in the story.If it had addressed a few issues with some of the story and some episodes, this could've been much, much higher.<br><br /><br><br />8. CHIHAYAFURU 2<br><br /><br><br />Chihayafuru 2 continues its tradition of being one of my favorite anime with a sequel full of fascination, charm and two exciting, new characters.The second season featured numerous more karuta matches and made them more exciting, thanks largely to the characters themselves getting better and playing against better competition. The sequel also helped develop the cast further, continuing where the first season left off.I can't wait for a third season to start since everything about this anime has been fantastic.<br><br /><br><br />7. SHIN SEKAI YORI<br><br /><br><br />Cerebral and astute, Shin Sekai Yori was an absolutely remarkable anime with a profound and insightful cast of characters, a series of harrowing and gripping stories and an innovative dystopian setting that instilled fear through both its society and its unknown.This drama/horror was represented by an exceptional and unique art style that helped give the anime a serious, somber style.And the final story arc was a thrilling and powerful journey that tied everything together.Shin Sekai Yori is also my second favorite horror anime of all-time.<br><br /><br><br />6. SHINGEKI NO KYOJIN (ATTACK ON TITAN)<br><br /><br><br />That sheer rush of adrenaline and excitement, that satisfaction that comes with a downed titan, these are the feelings of Shingeki no Kyojin, an emotional rollercoaster that rushes the audience through terror, panic, rage, and exhilaration.This powerful series had some of the best fights, both in terms of animation/direction and how they impacted the story and the constant struggle of humanity made every fight a decisive one.The setting with its steampunk mechanics and horrific (sometimes hilarious) titans also helped make this series memorable.The adventure, emotion and enjoyment of Shingeki no Kyojin are reasons why I want to continue the anime and I want to continue it now.<br><br /><br><br />5. PSYCHO-PASS<br><br /><br><br />Psycho-Pass really developed in its latter half, revealing shocking secrets about the setting, turning characters and organizations against each other and creating one of the greatest anime of 2012 and 2013.I absolutely loved what Psycho-Pass was able to accomplish with Akane and how she struggled against the criminals, the society and even her friends throughout the course of the anime.Not only did this have my favorite setting of the year but it was used routinely throughout and heavily influenced everything that occurred.The dialogues were often profound and thoughtful and really painted the characters as dynamic humans instead of lame stereotypes.There's also a good chance of seeing this anime reappear next year as one of the best anime of 2014 when the sequel returns to television.<br><br /><br><br />4. WATASHI GA MOTENAI NO WA DOU KANGAETEMO OMAERA GA WARUI!<br><br /><br><br />Watamote is an insightful and entertaining comedy with a slice-of-life story of a troubled, young girl who's struggling over her own unpopularity while failing to address her narcissism.Often times the series played these out as jokes for laughs but it were the heartwarming triumphs of Tomoko that were the most memorable and produced the biggest smiles.Shin Oonuma directed this masterpiece and incorporated his unique visual style in this anime with numerous effects, colors, transitions, lighting and perspective to influence the scenes and draw out the raw emotion or to make the joke more hilarious.This is one of my all-time favorite comedies and I'd love to see this series continue.<br><br /><br><br />3. MONOGATARI SERIES: SECOND SEASON<br><br /><br><br />Monogatari Series: Second Season is easily the best the Monogatari franchise has had to offer.Not only was the performance masterful with its characters, its art and its directing but the stories were significantly improved and they continued to build off the foundation left behind from previous Monogataris.The differing perspectives and alternative storytelling augmented the series and provided the chance to see characters in new ways.These differences were more than enough to warrant the high grade and ranking and end the franchise at a new, all-time high for me.<br><br /><br><br />2. JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE<br><br /><br><br />JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is one of the most riveting and spellbinding anime that I have ever seen.In addition to the extravagant and tremendous fights that caught the attention of the audience, the series had some rather perceptive and remarkable dialogue and storytelling.There was genuine and original comedy, too, which helped make the series be delightful beyond the frequent unnerving action sequences.The cast was outstanding and the art style was distinctive and matchless, especially with its liberal use of colors.JoJo's never stopped being thrilling or breathtaking and was an experience that showcased how entertainment and storytelling can be and should be intertwined.I'm looking forward to seeing the series continue in 2014, seeing as this is one of my favorite anime of all-time.<br><br /><br><br />1. KILL LA KILL<br><br /><br><br />It's like KILL la KILL was designed for me.Everything about KILL la KILL, I love.From its flamboyant and entertaining battles to its over-the-top and deliberately excessive fanservice to its wonderful characters who achieve excellence in their specified roles to its simple story of revenge to its distinctive and uncommon art style, everything about KILL la KILL is perfect.You really have to experience the anime in order to understand why it's so perfect, why it's so ideal and why I love every second of it.The series has everything I look for in an anime and it does everyone at excellent or above.It's a phenomenal experience that is still only half-way over.I can't wait to see how this anime concludes when it finished in 2014 but this is one of the few anime that can reach the upper limits of excellence and quality in anime.<br><br />Filed under: , , Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNotyzEOwCAIQNETIaKdehujNDooBoy9fh26%2FOElv641b8S0N1uTwe4VLVPZzGXpGDxd6Akp4JIJFCGN1vm0wA%2B5Jk15sRrIA2eI%2BAHkFxvx' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3965633152126003931.post-39067373526011957632014-01-12T22:21:00.001-08:002014-01-12T22:21:57.560-08:00Autumn 2013Finally, a season review that's not awkwardly late.With the anime of Autumn 2013 still fresh in our mind, there is no better time to review the shows, evaluate their accomplishments, and assign grades before moving onto the anime of 2014.So here it is, my final review for the anime of Autumn 2013.<br><br /><br><br />Every anime receives a numerical score (between 10-5 as well as a D [delayed/dropped]) and is placed in position according to how they rank against each other from top to bottom, helping differentiate position among anime receiving the same score.Each anime is paired with its own review which provides my overall thoughts and evaluation on the anime in addition to explaining my reasoning behind the score and ranking.Any questions or discussion are welcome and encouraged in the comment section.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />KILL LA KILL - 10<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: RYUUKO MATOI<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - What KILL la KILL accomplished this season is nothing short of exhilarating, astonishing, magnificent and dazzling.It's a sensational and thrilling adventure teeming with emotion and electricity.It's a stimulating anime that caters to exceptional entertainment and an intriguing story.And KILL la KILL has intangibles in its cast thanks to one of the greatest anime duos in history.What I'm saying is that KILL la KILL has everythingand then some.The animation and directing make every fight something to behold; each is a fun masterpiece that features humor and fanservice but also influences the story and carries lasting implications.Ryuuko and Mako are easily two of the greatest characters I have witnessed all year due thanks in part to their passion and personalities.They illustrate a genuine friendship where both sides support each other which makes their chemistry unparalleled.In fact, thanks to her efforts and endeavors in this first season (appearance plays a big role, too).The fanservice is wacky and sometimes excessive but it fits the personality and style of this anime.And the comedy and humor completes the anime, supplementing the story with pauses and helping show that the anime wants to be fun, not entirely serious.It's like someone wrote down all of my favorite things about anime and put them into this spectacular and magnanimous show.KILL la KILL is the best anime of 2013and I wouldn't be surprised to see it be the best anime of 2014 either as it continues into the new year.<br><br /><br><br />MONOGATARI SERIES: SECOND SEASON - 10<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: DEISHU KAIKI<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - The Koimonogatari (Hitagi End) arc that concluded Monogatari Series is unquestionably my favorite arc in the Monogatari franchise and a significant reason why this is one of my favorite anime of the year.After lulls in NISEMONOGATARI and tame reactions from NEKOMONOGATARI, I feel that the Monogatari franchise was successfully revived in this sequel thanks to some alternative perspectives and storytelling, some riveting storylines that depended upon and developed its characters (especially those outside Araragi) and that same vivid, pictographic Bakemonogatari-SHAFT-style that supplements these story through its phenomenal directing and insight into character's thoughts.It seems that all that Monogatari needed to take the next step was to step away from Araragi and explore the characters for who they are without him.It's no wonder that some of my favorite arcs were those with Tsubasa, Nadeko and Kaiki as the storytellers.And the stories that were explored this season were much deeper and fascinating than those of previous seasons.And all the familiar aspects of the Monogatari franchise that made it wonderful, such as the delightful cast of characters, the stunning visuals and powerful music made this one of the best anime of the year.I strongly recommend that anyone interested in this series make it a goal to finish Monogatari Series: Second Season at their earliest convenience.<br><br /><br><br />KYOUSOGIGA (TV) - 9<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: SHOUKO<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - Kyousogiga finally made it into a TV series after previous releases as an OVA and ONAs.Fortunately for fans of the franchise, the anime retained the same level of brilliance and excellence that makes this series so enjoyable.However, what this was able to do that the previous versions could not was include a complete story, develop its cast and its setting and answer questions that were asked but never answered.Unfortunately for me, I do have to wonder how the themes of this series changed, especially with the dominant ALICE IN WONDERLAND motifs and influences.It seems those parallels were ignored or forgotten when the story itself was in full gear.Still, despite that grievance and dispelling the mysteries of the series, I am happy to understand the history, events and characters of Kyousogiga now.The success of clear communication through elaborate and expressive stories really stood out to me with this series, though it could've done without the fights and action toward the end.The art was dramatic and colorful and the music was some of the best this season had to offer.The only other negative I have with this series is that the cast really never impressed me like they did in the OVA/ONAs, though it might've been tough to raise the bar after falling in love with the series then.I wouldn't mind seeing a sequel to this story though I do wonder where it could go from here if it did continue.<br><br /><br><br />KAKUMEIKI VALVRAVE S2 - 9<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: AKIRA RENBOKOUJI<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - Valvrave has been an electrifying and exciting adventure with way too many over-the-top and excessive moments to count.The series succeeded and thrived on these moments, making it one of the more entertaining and amusing anime of the season.The cast began to grow on me more than in S1 since it began to broaden its scope, especially with some of the female cast members.I can't say the story was really a strength for me but the numbers of twists and turns certainly kept it stimulating.I've always enjoyed mecha battles, especially those in space, but these were pretty mediocre for that genre and actually a bit disappointing knowing that this is a Sunrise anime and that should be one of the show's strengths.I'm not sure whether I liked this season or the first half better.Both halves grade out about the same but they both grade out extremely high after doing extremely well.<br><br /><br><br />NAGI NO ASUKARA - 8<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: MIUNA SHIODOME<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - How could I not love an anime with a dichotomous and symbiotic setting that heavily influenced every aspect of the show from its societies to its histories to its conflicts and its resolutions.Nagi no Asukara is an anime that's driven by its setting as the first and foremost aspect of everything.Whether we're in the picturesque and gorgeous underwater village of Shioshishio trying to retain its families and traditions or wonder what life would've been like if choices were different in Oshiooshi, the setting always found a way to push the narrative or the characters one way or the other.I always love a vivid, imaginative setting like Shioshishio but to have it drawn as magnificently as it is and to see it have this impact really wins me over.And while I could keep going on the setting, there are other aspects of the anime to talk about.Characters are good and fun; story is nice with the two societies fighting; art is great; music is fine.Okay, let's get back to the setting shall we?And thankfully, we will with this anime continuing into 2014.Is anyone else excited to see how the setting will continue to be the driving force in the anime?You know I'll be interested, although I can't help but feel that the romance will take over as the main focus shortly.<br><br /><br><br />LITTLE BUSTERS!: REFRAIN - 8<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: KANATA FUTAKI (Absent)<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - Wow, what a turn-around.Who would've thought that focusing on a story that incorporated its characters and moved forward would be what Little Busters! needed to become a great anime?With the first season being saturated with irrelevant stories that were immediately forgotten upon whatever girl's problems were resolved, the continuation of Little Busters! erased that mess by honing in on Riki and Rin and working a narrative that significantly improved their characters and moved the Little Busters! story to its end.Now, I can finally understand all the acclaim and popularity the series has.And while the series was far from perfect, I am very fortunate to have watched these 13 episodes to finish out the series on a positive note.So while I still am miserable and bitter about the first season, I can't help but like the series as whole now thanks to this season.I am thoroughly satisfied with Riki as a main character, as well as most of the cast, all the explanations that occurred in the end and how the series resolved itself in its finale.Bravo, Little Busters!: Refrain, you've done something that only a few anime have done and improve by 2 points between season.That distinction is nothing short of astounding.<br><br /><br><br />FREEZING VIBRATION - 8<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: CHARLES BONAPARTE<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - Like the anime above it, Freezing's sequel as saw a marked improvement over the original.Rather than continuing as a series about "girl of the week" and having nonsense fights, Freezing Vibration included a surprisingly decent story to its focus on fanservice and fighting.I'm rather surprised by the improvement in the cast too, especially since Freezing took the time to develop these girls and help you connect with them before their brutal and sometimes gory fights.The ecchi components of the anime were unashamed and frequent, but it never felt too excessive, forced or inappropriate though there were bouncy boobs, torn clothing, panties or uncensored bare breasts in every episode.I suppose that might be the case considering that Freezing is rather renowned for its ecchi fanservice.The fighting was rather tame in this season compared to the first, though that could be a result of there being a narrative in place and character development that usurped the time where girls would fight each other.Can't say I'm complaining about it when the story arguably better than the fights themselves.Overall, Freezing Vibration was actually a pretty great anime with a decent story, fun characters and some satisfying entertainment.Although I couldn't say I was terribly interested in the franchise when the first season ended in Winter 2011, I'm actually curious to see where the series goes from here and am looking forward to there being a possibility of another sequel.<br><br /><br><br />NON NON BIYORI - 8<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: RENGE MIYAUCHI<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - Non Non Biyori is a wonderful change-of-pace anime.If I had to choose a show where I wanted to sit back, kick my feet up and relax for 24 or so minutes, then there's no question I'd choose Non Non Biyori.Non Non Biyori is an anime that understand what makes a slice-of-life a good slice-of-life.Rather than boring the audience or wearing out its welcome, Non Non Biyori is infectious with is cast and comedy.The series does offer some emotional highs and lows which helps you identify with the cast.And watching the girls spend their days in a quiet rural setting certainly calms you down more than an urban or other setting.The art is vibrant, colorful and beautiful, especially the various backgrounds.Non Non Biyori is a delightful, charming anime that is ideal for anime fans of all-types.Anyone can pick Non Non Biyori up and enjoy it for what it is, and I can only hope more people pick this anime up and give it a chance.<br><br /><br><br />YOZAKURA QUARTET: HANA NO UTA - 7<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: AO NANAMI<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta is a fine anime but something a little too shounen for me.While I feel in love with its cast of good characters, I couldn't help but hate everything about the story and its cyclic pattern of fighting enemies and then accepting them as friends as though nothing happened.I don't think I liked any of the villains (which is probably a first), as they all felt too idealistic and romantic.That is to say, none of them really had a plan and were evil just for the sake of being evil.The fights were exquisitely animated and exciting to watch, but you always knew how the fight would end based on who was fighting.I mean, everything in this anime was predictable, not just the stories.The art and animation was easily the greatest strength of this anime and was demonstrated during the fights, but I thought it had superior animation and art throughout.I wasn't expecting such a high level of fanservice coming into the anime and was slightly disappointed that it kept shoving it in your face throughout but it was never too vulgar and often played up for jokes or lame humor.The setting with the two dimensions blending together was certainly interesting but unfortunately was ignored along with the plot for fighting various villains.Overall, the anime was enjoyable and entertaining but had some deficiencies and difficulties along the way, particularly on how shounen it was and what that meant for the characters and the story.Still, seeing how it ranks compared to the other anime on this list, I must say it did pretty well.<br><br /><br><br />MAGI: THE KINGDOM OF MAGIC (S2) - 7<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: HAKUEI REN<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - Magi continues its series by featuring some of the best episodes since its beginning and offering the series a chance to reinvent itself with its characters pursuing their own goals.With the latter half of the first season of Magi becoming stale, tedious and eventually boring, I'm pleased with how Magi redeveloped its sense of magic and adventure instead of droning on and on about made-up politics and societal troubles (that have now been completely forgotten by everyone).And now with the characters branching off, Magi is providing us with the experience of seeing each character on their own and highlighting their strengths and how far they've come as characters.Not only that, but we're beginning to explore the world and can see the foreshadowing of global events to come.This has been a surprisingly decent and pleasant are of Magi and I hope it continues this way into 2014.With the events playing out like this, I can't wait to see a colossal war or event break out between the various nations where Aladdin, Alibaba, Morgiana and Hakuryuu are.This season has certainly been a positive for Magi as a franchise and I hope this trajectory continues as we begin the second half of S2.<br><br /><br><br />SAMURAI FLAMENCO - 7<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: JOUJI KANAME<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - Samurai Flamenco began as an intelligent, insightful and though-provoking series that touched on the topics of justice, adventure and the purpose of one's life.Now, it's just a humorless satire of Hero and Sentai that has removed all thought, intrigue and cleverness from its.It's a shell of itself.It has now become a parody of the anime it once was, but it's not even a good parody at that.Everything that Samurai Flamenco had going for it is now gone and what's left are memories of what could've been.Sure, there have been some highlights since , but it's been far more bad than good.I'm hoping the anime can correct itself soon before we're too far into the second season and we find Hazama waking from a coma in the hospital and it all being a dream.I think something as terrible and cheesy as that would be the perfect way to cancel out everything wrong with this series.I couldn't imagine watching another 11 episodes of this garbage otherwise.<br><br /><br><br />GINGITSUNE - 6<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: GINTAROU<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - Gingitsune accomplished something that no anime has really ever done before: Gingitsune defined what the baseline for an anime should be.Why?Because Gingitsune did nothing for me as an anime.With Gingitsune, I never feel really excited or found anything positive with itself.The heralds weren't doing anything, there were no major conflicts and all the characters seemed pretty content with their lives.On the other hand, I never hated anything or felt disgusted by what's going on.Although I felt bored during the anime, it never really got to the point where I wanted to drop it and spend my time doing something better.In fact, everything about this anime was average.Nothing in this anime was ever good or bad.Hell, the anime had about the same level of originality or innovation that I expect from an anime, too.Everything about this anime was plain, ordinary or average.And while this anime is well below my median for anime, I can't help but wonder if this is like a tool to measure anime in terms of whether I like them or hate them.I mean, a high 6 is pretty much where I envisioned the cut-off being for liking and hating an anime, so it shouldn't be surprising to see an anime of this caliber end up here.Maybe the lasting impression of Gingitsune will be to create the "Gingitsune Test" where I evaluate whether I like or hate an anime more than Gingitsune.Maybe I'll develop such a test if this anime is the least bit memorable.<br><br /><br><br />GALILEI DONNA - 6<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: KAZUKI FERRARI<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - Well, if we're going to apply the "Gingitsune Test" to anything, let's start now with Galilei Donna.Yes, I hated Galilei Donna though not passionately or feverously.The story of the anime was, to put it nicely, one of the worst trainwrecks I have ever watched.The story was an arbitrary collection of nonsense that formed a cohesive mess that held this anime down like a battleship's anchor.Yes, I know the anime was originally planned for 22 episodes and cut to 11 but there is no excuse for this catastrophe of a story.Literally, nothing important in this anime was resolved.Why the hell even include those bits if you weren't going to resolve them in some way or some capacity?Ugh, moving onalthough the anime was about three sisters, it ended up being about Hozuki and two pieces of extra baggage that occasionally talked.The setting was about an energy crisis and Galileo hiding the answer in various places around the world (that he could never have possibly visited) for his great(x20)-granddaughters to circumnavigate the globe to find and save the world.Yes, that's literally the basis of the story and it might've been the best part this anime had to offer.The art and animation were fine though at times inadequate and subpar.I can't help but wonder what this anime would've been like had it doubled its time and had 22 episodes to flesh out a story instead of 11.Considering what we saw with these 11, I could consider myself lucky that it was trimmed in half to get this trainwreck over in half the time.<br><br /><br><br />BLAZBLUE: ALTER MEMORY - 6<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: NOEL VERMILLION<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - Why would you make an anime about a fighting video game and make it about a story and not the fights?Really, the disappointment that was BlazBlue was not its shoddy and incomprehensible story but the fact that there were only a handful of fights throughout the anime and that none of them were particularly good or interesting.The cast was completely underutilized and many characters had no place in the story despite being significantly better than the story.Seriously, why did this anime need to have a story and why did the story have to dominate throughout?The anime would've been much, much better had it just been random characters wandering through their days and fighting each other.I hate to say it but QUEEN'S BLADE had a better story and better fights than this anime.And while we're on the subject, better art and animation, too.Often times, the careless art would be inadequate for the fights and the style was rather flat or plain when it was just characters talking.Really, this series was a letdown and frustrating to watch.It's too bad you can't fight against this anime as a character in BlazBlue since I'm sure every fan of the franchise would love to beat this up time and time again.<br><br /><br><br />COPPELION - 5<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: IBARA NARUSE<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - The failure that is Coppelion has to beg the question: how do you mean an anime this bad?The only was the story a disaster on part with the nuclear reactor exploding but it was so dodgy and schizophrenic that I couldn't tell whether it was supposed to be like this on purpose of if the director was a dog that got distracted by a squeaky toy every episode.No one in the cast was enjoyable and may characters were insufferable, especially Aoi who always screamed or complained or whined about everything.She should never have been put in this anime.The setting was a decent idea but the execution was appalling, and the science used to explain it was shameful.The anime just made-up whatever it wanted for whatever reason and, most of the time, it was laughable like the 10-minute timer to live complete with a countdown timer in the corner.The action was hilarious because it was so hilariously bad and the fights were just a series of haphazard events strung in a sequence and unfortunately animated for our torture.Really, the main issue with Coppelion is that the nuclear disaster didn't kill everyone there, which would've saved us from watching this anime.I can only hope that others don't make the same mistake I do and watch Coppelion.<br><br /><br><br />Achievements of Autumn 2013:<br><br /><br><br />Best Art: MONOGATARI SERIES: SECOND SEASON<br><br /><br><br />Best Characters: KILL LA KILL<br><br /><br><br />Best Entertainment: KILL LA KILL<br><br /><br><br />Best Setting: NON NON BIYORI<br><br /><br><br />Best Sound: KILL LA KILL<br><br /><br><br />Best Story: MONOGATARI SERIES: SECOND SEASON<br><br /><br><br />Best OP: MONOGATARI SERIES: SECOND SEASON OP4<br><br /><br><br />That parody, that song, that animation style; everything was spectacular and outstanding in Monogatari's OP4.They left no detail untouched, even going to the effort of including the karaoke at the bottom for fans to sing along.There is no question that this was the best opening of the season and for one of the best anime of the season, too.<br><br /><br><br />Best ED: KYOUSOGIGA (TV)<br><br /><br><br />I've always had a thing for endings that begin to play while the episode is still showing and Kyousogiga's ED frequently began during a touching or moving moment.The song is also one of my favorites and it is more than enough to make up for the basic and unexciting visuals.<br><br /><br><br />Biggest Surprise: LITTLE BUSTERS!: REFRAIN<br><br /><br><br />The sequel to Little Busters! helped reverse my opinion of the whole franchise from negative to positive.I never expected the anime to perform such a reversal but now I like Little Busters! and have positive memories of it.I'm really impressed with what Little Busters!: Refrain was able to do and happy to have watched it this season.<br><br /><br><br />Biggest Disappointment: SAMURAI FLAMENCO<br><br /><br><br />Samurai Flamenco is the greatest disappointing because it was at one point good and then became bad.And bad might be generous because it's really, really, really bad right now.I had considered BLAZBLUE and COPPELION for this spot since both are worse than Flamenco right now but it's rare to see an anime go from an 8 to a 6 in the span of one episode.<br><br /><br><br />Best Finale: MONOGATARI SERIES: SECOND SEASON<br><br /><br><br />Kaiki is my favorite character in the Monogatari franchise and witnessing his story and the pinnacle of his character and performance was an unforgettable experience.Listening to his final speech was more a reflection on himself and his life than anything else and painted a beautiful portrait of one of the most fascinating antagonists in anime history.To see a character with such profound depth and insight is what made this finale my favorite and helped elevate Monogatari to a 10.<br><br /><br><br />Most Hated Character: AOI FUKASAKU (COPPELION)<br><br /><br><br />Thank you for reading through my review for Autumn 2013.Next, I hope to move on to 2014 after completing a final review that take into account everything that happened in 2013.I hope you've enjoyed this post despite being well into Winter 2014 at this current moment.<br><br />Filed under: , , Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoNyEEOgCAMBMAXwQJ68jdEm8iBltBSvq9znNdsXEB1J23CFLfMZ0xSjbd0lJRPpIxcUJetzuGfIyhVFQ6TvNHGBzMmFyU%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3965633152126003931.post-30982552283429355022014-01-11T13:04:00.001-08:002014-01-11T13:04:52.424-08:00Sakura TrickNot only the cherry blossoms, but the lilies too are in full bloom! One of the series was looking forward the most this winter season is , the anime adapting of the yuri yonkoma manga "Trick" by Tachi.<br><br /><br><br />Being a fan of the yuri genre, was anxious to finally see a series air again that revolved around a true yuri relationship at its core, like "Aoi Hana", "Sasameki Koto" or "Candy Boy". A welcome change after many shows that at most suggested yuri pairings or showed superficial yuri tinted shenanigans merely to reel in viewers, like "Yuru Yuri" or "Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya".<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />"Sakura Trick" is about Haruka and Yuu, two close friends who upon entering high school, decide to do something bold to make their relationship special. What will sharing a sweet kiss mean for their friendship and the world around them, will it all change?<br><br /><br><br />Absolutely adored the first episode, can best describe the show as a light hearted school comedy with yuri romance, all in very sugar coated and sweet atmosphere of cute girls doing cute things.<br><br /><br><br />Right now, there's no telling how far Haruka and Yuu's relationship will go or if will really blossom into romantic love. While am confident that the show will be enjoyable all throughout its run even if the romance between Haruka and Yuu does not evolve beyond its current stage, do hope that the couple's relationship will grow.<br><br /><br><br />Can imagine some viewers may question how Haruka and Yuu's relationship should grow beyond the two girls being officially recognized or labelled as begin a couple, since this first episode already shows them kiss. Although their behavior towards one another suggests they already have a much deeper and caring relationship than they themselves may realize, there's still plenty left to explore.<br><br /><br><br />Plus, let's not forget about their friends Kaede, Yuzu, Kotone and Shizuku. Where Haruka and Yuu are the explicit yuri couple, Kotone and Shizuku seem like they will be the playful romantic pairing, while Kaede and Yuzu look like they a close friends-of-a-lifetime pair.<br><br /><br><br />Animation by Studio Deen is excellent, everything is rendered with a lovely soft color palette with most of the detail going towards animating the girls, who all look irresistibly cute.<br><br /><br><br />Did notice the studio uses a lot of plain color backgrounds or cutscenes featuring the girls' specific hair ornaments, not unlike what studio Feel did in "Minami-ke". Could that be due to the challenge the studio has in translating the specific pace of a yonkoma manga into flowing scenes?<br><br /><br><br />Might sound odd coming from someone who labels himself as a yuri aficionado, but do regret they included so much fanservice that obviously showcased the girls' thighs and bosoms. For a yuri series like this one, it is unnecessary, especially considering the copious amounts included. Personally wouldn't mind if they toned that down a bit.<br><br /><br><br />Yuu is voiced by Iguchi Yuka, she also voiced Maria in "Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai", Norie in "Tamayura", Index in "To aru Majutsu no Index", Mako in "Girls und Panzer" and Tsukihi in "Bakemonogatari".<br><br /><br><br />Tomatsu Haruka voices Haruka, she previously voiced Saki in "Kakumeiki Valvrave", Asuna in "Sword Art Online", Ichika in "Ano Natsu de Matteru", Shizuku in "Tonari no Kaibutsu and Lala in "To Love RU".<br><br /><br><br />Twin-tailed Shizuku is voiced by Igarashi Hiromi who also voiced Hina in "Papa no Iu Koto who Kikinasai", Yayoi in "Inu to Hasami wa Tsukaiyou" and Seira in "Ore no Nounai Sentakushi ga, Gakuen Love Come wo Zenryoku de Jama Shiteiru". Her cousin Kotone is voiced by Aisaka Yuka who doesn't seem to have any other roles credited to her name yet.<br><br /><br><br />Kaede is voiced by Fuchigami Mai, she has voiced Iona in "Arpeggio of Blue Steel: Ars Nova", Miho in "Girls und Panzer" and Petrarca in "Outbreak Company". Toda Megumi who voices Yuzu does not appear to have voiced many other characters.<br><br /><br><br />Despite small flaws like the unnecessary fanservice that does not entirely fit a yuri genre series, really adored the first episode of "Sakura Trick". Am confident it will be one of my favorite shows this season and it might very well become even one of my favorite yuri genre series.<br><br /><br><br />What did come to mind though as I watched this first episode of "Sakura Trick", is that "Girl Friends", one of the best yuri stories I have ever read, definitely needs to get an anime adaptation.<br><br /><br><br />If you're looking for a sweet romantic comedy about yuri couples, then you should definitely watch "Sakura trick".<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNrLKCkpsNLXT8opTQXh8sSyVL3y%2FKKUgqLU4mK95PxcfSMDQxN9A0N9QwP94sTs0qJE3ZKizORsfQBqRhQl' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3965633152126003931.post-9979896380704565832014-01-09T00:55:00.001-08:002014-01-09T00:55:33.727-08:00Seitokai Yakuindomo*Based on the "" manga by Tozen Ujiie, a four panel comedy about the silly shenanigans of the Ousai Academy student council, "Seitokai Yakuindomo" already spawned an anime adaptation in 2010, followed by multiple OVA episodes.<br><br /><br><br />This hilarious comedy finally returns for an entire season with , each episode will no doubt be filled to the brim with sexual innuendos, verbal banter, dirty jokes and other silliness by its perverted characters.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />Part of what makes "Seitokai Yakuindomo" a successful comedy that generates plenty of laughs, is its abundance of boke/tsukkomi moments which are balanced well thanks to a diverse cast comprised of perverted or air-headed characters as well as several level-headed characters.<br><br /><br><br />Even though Tsuda takes the lead as main tsukkomi character with his inner monologue and frequent retorts to Shino and Aria's many outrageous remarks, he is often joined in that role by Suzu and recently even Toki. The same applies to the boke or perverted characters, while clearly led by Shino and Aria, many other characters likewise fire off plenty of silly or perverted remarks, like Kotomi, Nene or Yokoshima.<br><br /><br><br />Part of what makes "Seitokai Yakuindomo" successful and genre defining as a comedy built on dirty jokes and sexual innuendo, is how it consistently walks the fine line of being all about dirty jokes and sexual innuendo without ever degenerating into offensive humor or cheap ecchi tricks.<br><br /><br><br />Luckily the same creative team behind the first series returns for this sequel, with studio GoHands again at the helm for the animation, Hiromitsu Kanazawa as director and Furuta Makoto as character designer.<br><br /><br><br />This not only guarantees consistency in character design and animation style between both seasons, but the opening episode of this sequel also showcased studio GoHands' resolve to deliver splendid animation for "Seitokai Yakuindomo".<br><br /><br><br />Quite happy that all of the voice talents seem to reprise their roles for this sequel as excellent voice work is one of this series' strong suits. Next to the main cast, some of the supporting characters also shine thanks to terrific voice acting, characters like Hata, Kotomi and Uomi.<br><br /><br><br />Student council president Shino is once again voiced by Hikasa Youko, she also voiced Mio in"K-ON!", Houki in "IS: Infinite Stratos", Rias in "High School DxD" and Sera in "Kore wa Zombie desu ka?".<br><br />Yahagi Sayuri voices twin-tailed Suzu, she previously tackled roles like Haruna in "To Love RU", Izumi in "Hayate no Gotoku!", Anri in "One Off" and Miyoshi in "Bakuman".<br><br /><br><br />Shapely Aria is voiced by Satou Satomi, who also voiced Ritsu in "K-ON!", Chitanda in "Hyouka", Sakura in "Kiniro Mosaic", Wendy in "Fairy Tail" and Manami in "Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai".<br><br />Tsuda's sister Kotomi is voiced by Shimoda Asami, she voiced Lin in "IS: Infinite Stratos", Ginbei in "Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankei Nai yo ne" as well as AmiGate", Mariya in "Maria Holic", Shizuku in "Candy Boy" and Sasha in "Shingeki no Kyojin".<br><br /><br><br />Satomi Aria voices deadpan paparazzi aficionado Hata, she voiced Kuruko in "To aru Kagaku no Railgun" and Kozue in "Mahoraba ~Heartful Days~".<br><br />Kaede is voiced by Katou Emiri, she's tackled roles like Kagami in "Lucky Star", Mayoi in "Bakemonogatari", Sakuya in "Candy Boy" and Hideyoshi in "Baka to test to Shoukanjuu".<br><br /><br><br />Uomi, the student council president from Eiryou, is voiced by Saitou Chiwa who is known for roles like Hitagi in "Bakemonogatari", Aika in "Aria", Tatenashi in "IS: Infinite Stratos", Humora in "Puella Magi Madoka Magica", Honoka in "Stella Jougakuin C3-Bu" and Francesca in "Strike Witches".<br><br /><br><br />If you're looking for a terrific comedy that is one of the few which defines the dirty joke genre in anime, that is a rapid fire of jokes and filled with excellent verbal banter, then you cannot miss "Seitokai Yakuindomo*".<br><br /><br><br />Be aware though that having watched the first season and OVA episodes of "Seitokai Yakuindomo" is required to fully enjoy this second season. If you haven't watched them yet, then don't hesitate as you're missing out on an epic comedy with a high re-watch value.<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNrLKCkpsNLXT8opTQXh8sSyVL3y%2FKKUgqLU4mK95PxcfSMDQxN9A0N9AxP94tTMkvzsxEzdysTs0sy8lPzcfH0ABWYXHQ%3D%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3965633152126003931.post-90248675440864753432014-01-08T23:35:00.001-08:002014-01-08T23:35:45.386-08:00Space DandyIt seems as though, at least from the perspective of someone who is slowly fading out of hardcore fandom, that each season has fewer shows that truly inspire. Instead, we get retreads of common scenarios intermixed with sequels filled with tired ideas. Of course, it seems like every season we get some new anime that will save the medium. This fall it was Kill la Kill, this winter it is going to be Space Dandy, and sometime in 2014 we will have the long awaited Sailor Moon reboot. I don't really know what others think of Kill la Kill, but in my opinion it is mediocre, at best. That said, Space Dandy might end up as the greatest thing since sliced bread, or it could suck. It's too soon to tell one way or the other (but I think it sucks)<br><br /><br><br />And that's the problem. What if it does? What if Sailor Moon sucks? Think of all the time and money that will be going into these series for simultaneous releases. What of the long term commitment to this series, at the expense of other series for each respective studio. Surely, us anime fans don't need spectacle and flash when watching a series. God knows Bakemonogatari was relatively tame when it came to spectacle and flash. Azumanga Daioh and Lucky Star made addicts of all of us, and the production budgets here were comparatively small. Of course, the expectation is that these special, well backed anime, will draw in non anime fans, and act as a sort of bridge to the wider otaku world at best, and increased profits at worst.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />But even should it succeed, it will not be representative of most anime out there. Do we really think that newfound anime fans will like Simoun? What of Angel Beats or Hyouka? I doubt it. Thus, the goal of making new anime fans won't really be accomplished. We will win the battle, but lose the war.Anime may well turn out to become a more accepted worldwide past time, but will it be our past time. Or let's say it takes 10 years before Japan realizes these strategies are doomed to failure. In the meantime, we get less true anime in the spirit we have become accustomed to. Either way, I think we, the long time otaku, may be the ultimate losers in this.<br><br /><br><br />That said, I hope Space Dandy is successful, but I doubt that it will be.<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNody9sKgCAMANAvmtOIHvqboZIjb7iR%2BPdRrwdOUu0nosZRuFKmyiWa2UboI4oY3wpu1u1oHdoDpZOPEKiGBTMtEHq4XvAvYIGbc%2F6AFV%2BWpR%2Bg' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3965633152126003931.post-38671576027575466862014-01-08T22:55:00.001-08:002014-01-08T22:55:56.128-08:00Saki Zenkoku-hen 1So begins the reunion with the much beloved cast of one of the craziest mahjong anime out there. I hope to cover this series regularly, with my impressions coming out later into the week for scheduling reasons.<br><br /><br><br />Did I like the opening episode? You bet I did.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />Some people were dissatisfied with the lack of mahjong battles in the first episode, but personally I was actually impressed with how the few seconds of mahjong action in the episode were used to provide basic characterization for the characters and teams involved. Hacchan (loli miko) makes someone drop below zero without going into the captains' round through some obviously occult combination, and we immediately know she's one to look out for in the coming matches. Awai goes double riichi -> kan -> dora 4, and we know it is not just "luck".<br><br /><br><br />On the other hand, Himematsu is shown buying their way into the tournament through a paltry 2000 point ron. Coupled with the down to earth character designs, we may begin guessing that Himematsu is a team of (mostly?) normal humans who win their matches through reasonable choices and good, if non-spectacular, mahjong - a counterpoint to the teams who wear their occult weaponry on their sleeves. Can such people put up a fight against the legions of superpowered mahjong girls? Or does Himematsu have some secret weapon of their own?<br><br /><br><br />I expect Himematsu to get more time to shine in the coming episodes. In the meanwhile, we can get a good look at some other teams.<br><br /><br><br />Eisui - within just a few short scenes and lines of dialogue, we are left wondering not only who those girls are, but also what they are. The princess in particular deserves attention, as it is not just a nickname we are dealing with, as the other members openly address her with honorifics reserved for nobility. With a rigid distinction between the main house and the branch houses, we see that Eisui is not so much a school team but a team made up of the members of a single family - one which might have other purposes in mind for the tournament other than just having fun playing mahjong.<br><br /><br><br />The divide between the princess and the other members lies not only in their respective social positions, though. We see the princess resting within the darkness, illuminated only by the light of candles, and she seems to be a part of a completely different world from the cheerful waiting room the rest of the team is gathered in. What is the mystery behind her? What is the reason for the reverence the other team members hold for her. Jindai Komaki - her last name meaning god-representative or vessel of gods - is likely to surprise us in the coming episodes.<br><br /><br><br />But true to the tradition of Saki, the respectful terms Jindai's teammates use are mixed in with informal and friendly speech patterns, and when Hacchan declares they are not letting the princess shoulder all the burden this year round, you can tell there is an undercurrent of true affection to the respect and hierarchy of this mysterious family. For all the questions surrounding them, the Eisui girls might actually only be out there for the fun for it. (Maybe.)<br><br /><br><br />While the pro and his partner commentator discuss Hacchan's kimon (literally demon gate, but also a different way of saying "northeast" - the direction considered most unlucky, from which disasters were believed to come) the term is not supposed to make much sense to the viewer at this time - and neither does it have much to do with mahjong. In fact, this short conversation hints that many of the pros in the Saki world might be more akin to the ghost busters we know from series like Bakemonogatari than mahjong pros in our world!<br><br /><br><br />While Hacchan will have more than enough time to show off her occult tricks in the future, the first episode introduces what will be a central theme in this season of Saki - information warfare. The miko team are not afraid to reveal some of their cards during the prelims, but that confidence comes at a cost. If a pro can analyze an ability and possibly find a way around it, there is a very real possibility that one of the other teams in the tournament will do the same.<br><br /><br><br />The same could be applied to Saki, of course, who held nothing back during the Nagano finals, but then again, she hardly had any choice but to go full out against Koromo if she wanted a chance to win. This cannot be said of Shiraitodai's Awai, who revealed some of her ability in the match presented in this episode for a pretty reasonand those of you who have seen Achiga-hen know how that ended up for her.<br><br /><br><br />The question is, are all the teams alike in this matter - holding nothing back in their battles and ready to take the risks involved with that, or are there people waiting for the right time to strike ?<br><br /><br><br />Miyamori - it is easy to see they are nobodies, out of place among the other schools. Their past history in the tournament is not mentioned in the episode - they have none. Heck, one look at the empty mahjong clubroom tells stories of the (nonexistent) prestige Miyamori enjoys. Eislinn sticks out as a transfer student, but do not mistake her for a mahjong genius brought from abroad like the Rinkai girls - when she first came to Japan, she probably barely knew what the game was about.<br><br /><br><br />Five friends and a granny with a vision. All members of the team are third years - all comrades and equals taking their one and only chance at the mahjong tournament. Sae declares they will enjoy mahjong more than anyone, and thus reach higher than any other team. But is there anything they can do against the might of the schools standing against them? Or is it that nothing is impossible with the power of friendship?<br><br /><br><br />And Rinkaijust Rinkai. They are like Shiraitodai done right. They are like Teru five times over. They are likely to be the only team in the entire tournament without a single weak link. I am sure they eat babies for breakfast. Someone please confirm that for me.<br><br /><br><br />Just look at Myeonghwa. Putting aside the fact that she is French and still manages to have an eastern name impossible to spell, her hair billows in the windindoors! Someone call Mulder and Scully, quick!<br><br /><br><br />I loved how the episode also found the time to give us a glimpse of teams from all over - even those that had their chance to shine in the Achiga-hen spinoff and will not be taking an active role in the episodes to come. In a sense, Achiga-hen limited itself to the story of two teams - Achiga and Senriyama. This season stays true to its title and takes responsibility for the event as a whole - a gathering for mahjong lovers from all across the country. This is only supported by the appearances from the cast of the previous season.<br><br /><br><br />The appearances from Kazekoshi and Ryuumonbuchi are not merely a rehash of what we have already seen and know. Relationships have progressed and lessons have been learned - which this episode manages to tell us through just a few stills at the end. Particularly heartwarming is the fast-developing friendship between Koromo and Kana, something which was difficult even to imagine during the first season of the show.<br><br /><br><br />Other tidbits include Hisa and Mihoko going shopping together, with Mihoko keeping both eyes open for a change. Is the girl fishing for compliments, or is it just that she feels that much at ease next to the Kiyosumi captain? Your call.<br><br /><br><br />This episode also marks the first appearance of the Ikeda family in all its glory (sans the parents of course). Ikeda's three little sisters show up often enough in the Saki Biyori yonkoma manga, but might have been something of a surprise to anime-only viewers. Kana-oneechan~.<br><br /><br><br />I was also glad to see Kazekoshi more at ease with their coach, as that was one of the more strained relationships presented in the first season. Has Kubo changed, or was she always only tough on the outside, wishing for the best of her team inside her heart?<br><br /><br><br />Closing the episode with this image of Saki quietly reading a book is most fitting. Besides mahjong, their penchant for literature is one of the biggest common points between the two Miyanaga sisters, and it serves as a subtle reminder of what Saki is here for - to reestablish that long lost connection.<br><br /><br><br />By the way, Saki appears to be reading some kind of parody of the Lord of the Rings. Since the Japanese fans tend to call Saki "Maou", or evil overlord, I have to wonder which side she would be cheering on when reading Tolkien's work<br><br /><br><br />Other places covering this season of Saki:<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoFwQEKgDAIBdAT2d8iCLqNlLGQ3HBGrNP3XoloGzDY2VgHT2%2F1o7n0Pu31xpzygpSRVnTWiz4xrfpQEaNMYiFOUYRO54EfAqAaUg%3D%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3965633152126003931.post-35839550915818607232014-01-08T22:10:00.001-08:002014-01-08T22:10:59.586-08:00Tonari no Seki-kunAdapting the original "" manga by Takuma Morishige in anime form, looks like it will to be one of the better comedies this winter season.<br><br /><br><br />The story is all about school girl Rumi who spends most of her time in class both awed and shocked at the elaborate games her classmate Seki plays on his desk. Much to Rumi's exasperation, the boy never seems to get caught by the teachers, but to make matters worse for her, she is the one who gets scolded for not paying attention instead.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />The first episode of "Tonari no Seki-kun" was hilarious and reminded me of "Nichijou". Both shows seem to share a similar, simple art style along with more alternative comedy brought by oddball characters.<br><br /><br><br />Next to excellent comedy, and the stark contrast between Seki's steadfast behaviour conducting incredible games in class compared to Rumi's normal reactions of being baffled as well as worried, the series really takes it to the next level thanks to Hanazawa Kana's excellent voice work as Rumi.<br><br /><br><br />Her performance helps carry the series by adding depth to Rumi's character, making her reactions feel as if she were an avatar of the viewer expressing their awe or disapproval to Seki's incredulous actions as well as disbelief when Rumi is the one scolded for misbehaving instead of the real culprit.<br><br /><br><br />Am quite fond of Hanazawa Kana's voice work, she also voiced Charlotte in "IS: Infinite Stratos", Kanade in "Angel Beats!", Kobato in "Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai", Matou in "Black Rock Shooter", Mikan in "To Love RU", Mayuri in "Steins;Gate", Ruri in "Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai" and Nadeko in "Bakemonogatari".<br><br /><br><br />Hanazawa Kana will also be starring in several other series this season, for instance as Manaka in "Nagi no Asukara", Kosaki in "Nisekoi", Ruka in "D-Frag!" and Mayuka in "Buddy Complex".<br><br /><br><br />Although at first glance the simple plot and its limited setting may suggest the series could get boring, doubt this will be the case as the episodes are just slightly over five minutes long.<br><br /><br><br />With such a brief running time, have no doubt that "Tonari no Seki-kun" is a comedy anyone can pick up and enjoy, so I do recommend it to all those looking for a good laugh.<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNrLKCkpsNLXT8opTQXh8sSyVL3y%2FKKUgqLU4mK95PxcfSMDQxN9A0N9Awv9kvy8xKJM3bx83eLU7Ezd7NI8fQDq2BZG' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3965633152126003931.post-20856678571641664432014-01-06T07:40:00.001-08:002014-01-06T07:40:12.697-08:00Summer 2013The Summer 2013 anime season wasn't too long ago and featured a number of wonderful anime.Since I never provided my thoughts, opinions and reviews for the anime at the end of the season, here is a late review that encompasses the entire season and provided my final reviews for Summer 2013.<br><br /><br><br />Before we begin, the ranking of anime below was completed at the end of September after a majority of the shows were completed.I did complete an evaluation of these shows at the time but never created a final review.It's also worth noting that some of the shows that continued into Autumn 2013 may have different grades in that review based on how they performed in their latter half.These are only the reviews from July-September for 2013.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />Every anime receives a numerical score (between 10-5 as well as a D [delayed/dropped]) and is placed in position according to how they rank against each other from top to bottom, helping differentiate position among anime receiving the same score.Each anime is paired with its own review which provides my overall thoughts and evaluation on the anime in addition to explaining my reasoning behind the score and ranking.Any questions or discussion are welcome and encouraged in the comment section.<br><br /><br><br />WATASHI GA MOTENAI NO WA DOU KANGAETEMO OMAERA GA WARUI! - 10<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: MOTHER KUROKI (TOMOKO'S MOTHER)<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - What fascinates me most about Watamote is how people come to different conclusions about this anime based on their differencing perspectives.To me, Watamote was a hilarious comedy with some brilliant and beautiful character growth spread evenly throughout.It provided countless laughs, uncomfortable moments and heartwarming scenes that really provided an emotional experience that is unrivaled in the comedy genre.To me, watching Tomoko grow as a person despite her frequent hardships, narcissism, laziness was a triumph for her character.That's the real story here and that's undoubtedly my favorite aspect of this anime.Second would be the comedy which is now an all-time favorite for anime.I don't recall ever laughing or smiling this much at an anime which means it will fit nicely among my other all-time favorite comedies.Furthermore, Shin Oonuma is my favorite anime director and for good reason: his vision, presentation and elegance are unequaled in anime today.His use of imagery, motifs, colors, and lighting have varying degrees of influence in his works, emphasizing or changing the atmosphere, mood and emotion in every scene.His directing style can literally change the outcomes of a scene it's so powerful, and he uses it to draw out more passion and impact which was demonstrated vividly in Watamote.Easily my favorite anime of the season and a strong candidate to be my favorite anime of the year.<br><br /><br><br />MONOGATARI SERIES: SECOND SEASON - 10<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: HITAGI SENJOUGAHARA<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - With Nisemonogatari growing rather stale and Nekomonogatari being rather tame, Monogatari Series really needed some magic to revive itself to the former glory and acclaim that it earned under Bakemonogatari.Consider that job done and more.Monogatari Series is quickly becoming the best anime in this franchise thanks to its variation, its diversity and how it the stories are actually stories and how the characters are actually characters.Before, the pattern of the franchise was merely Araragi meeting a girl, solving her problem and the girl falling in love with him.Now, Monogatari has evolved from that and is using these same characters in their own stories to show their own growth, progress and life beyond that of being just a girl in a harem.The most noticeable and significant difference has been the anime taking the perspectives of Hanekawa and Nadeko for their arcs and letting these characters direct their own lives.The end result has been phenomenal, an outstanding touch on this franchise that really makes it more impressive than what Bakemonogatari was able to do back in Summer 2009.Additionally, the stories continue to build off each other helping the characters out immensely by making them feel like real people instead of anime stereotypes.I will never get tired of Shaft's art and directing styles, so those are also positives for me, especially for Monogatari which features those unique stills of words providing valuable insight into a character's mind.I've rediscovered my love for Monogatari with this season and I'm thrilled to see it continue into Autumn 2013.<br><br /><br><br />SHINGEKI NO KYOJIN (ATTACK ON TITAN) - 9<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: ZOHANGE<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - The second half of Shingeki no Kyojin was a noteworthy change from the first half, leading the anime down a different but equally impressive path.Rather than sustaining itself on fear, adrenaline and animosity, the second half of Attack on Titan saw a much calmer, slower pace that displayed intelligence, cunning and creativity on its already intriguing plot.Sure, the action was noticeably decreased and there was no longer that rush of epinephrine every time a titan appeared but the strengths of the latter half of Shingeki no Kyojin were parallels and helped balance the series out.It certainly was different but much appreciated.The summer season of Titan delivered significant contributions to the characters and plot, helping push the story along and using its fights more tactfully rather than as a tool for fear and death.The quality of animation did fluctuate more so in this half than the first half, though that might be due to working overtime on the fights and leaving the rest to stills of talking facing.Otherwise, no real faults to note with this anime, unless you are maybe anticipating it becoming too shounen soon (though it's not there yet).The anime is a high 9 which is where it placed at the end of Spring 2013, so it hasn't gained or lost any ground with this continuation.I do hope to see more of this anime again soon, especially since its popularity in Japan might equate to even better production values next timeand could you imagine this with better production values for fights?Now that would be a sight to see.<br><br /><br><br />UCHOUTEN KAZOKU - 9<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: MOTHER SHIMOGAMO<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - Uchouten Kazoku is a visually striking and gorgeous that illustrates the beautiful story of a family trying to hold itself together in the aftermath of their father, the one who held everything together, passing away.The anime was ripe for character growth and certainly delivered, making it one of the more enjoyable anime this season for me.Furthermore, the character designs by Kouji Kumeta (SAYONARA ZETSUBOU SENSEI, JOSHIRAKU) were an absolute delight, especially since created a rather a unique visual identity for the anime.I enjoyed the cast for the most part, though I was never really engaged or terribly concerned about the brothers at any point.Can't say I was terrible interested in the plot itself, either.Instead, it was their character development which really drove this anime, creating an experience that showed how each cub grow into an adult tanuki (or, for some, closer to an adult tanuki).Uchouten Kazoku is a fun, enchanting anime that, as a whole, was both very fulfilling and satisfying.<br><br /><br><br />LOVE LAB - 8<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: RIKO KURAHASHI<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - The magnetic, resplendent anime that is Love Lab really astonished me considering how charming, entertaining and enjoyable it turned out to be.At first, I thought the anime would focus primarily on the romance with comedy being the afterthought but, lo and behold, the comedy reigned supreme and made this one of the most entertaining anime of the season.Secondary to that was the amazement in how the chemistry worked between the five girls.Usually in wacky school anime, full of gags and slapstick humor, there are one or two characters which steal the spotlight.For Love Lab, the spotlight spent equal time with each character and the humor highlighted their personalities as they continued to play off each other.No one character was too strong.No one character was too weak.The balance here reinforces how appropriate the comedy is and highlights the strength in its writing and how it uses its character, in addition to the content of the humor also being hilarious.Beyond that, the romance angle was slightly mundane but provided for numerous instances of comedy which is something I appreciate.The art style is colorful, vibrant and energetic which matches the personality of this anime.I'd love to see this series continue since I know it can keep going with it characters and its comedy, so hopefully this will receive a sequel soon.<br><br /><br><br />STELLA JOGAKUIN KOUTOU-KA C3-BU - 8<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: YURA YAMATO<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - A common theme this season has been character growth seeing as I've mentioned it as a positive in every anime above this one.However, I don't think there was any better demonstration or progression in the growth of a character than Yura Yamato in C3-bu.In fact, it even become the subject of a post of mine for.This unanticipated and unforeseen story was really the biggest surprise for C3-bu and easily made it one of the most remarkable and fascinating anime of the season.In fact, focusing in on Yura the entire time is probably what made this anime fascinating and worthwhile to me since the other aspects were only mediocre.Gainax did a wonderful job with some of the art and animation, especially with how it depicted Yura's imagination and how it integrated those scenes into the real world.The other cast members were fair to great, great being reserved for Sonora and Rento, and the theme of airsoft/survival games was fun and original for an anime.Still, C3-bu couldn't really shake the label of 'cute girls doing whatever' with this being a school club that focused on guns instead of anime or music or tanks or the occult or doing nothing or whatever.But among that popular and middling genre, C3-bu is among the best of its peers which is largely thanks to Yura Yamato.I can only hope that other anime within this genre follow in C3-bu's footsteps and use character development to drive its franchise.Imagine how much better anime would be in general if everything took that advice.<br><br /><br><br />TAMAYURA ~MORE AGGRESSIVE~ - 8<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: MUTSUKO SHIMOKAMIYAMA<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - Like the two anime above this, Tamayura ~more aggressive~ was a surprise this season, though this one is more personal due to my dissatisfaction with the previous TV series, Tamayura ~hitotose~.In fact, this was also the subject of another .It's as if Tamayura was listening to my concerns and addressed each one, thus warranting the much higher and appropriate grade of an 8 versus a 6.This time, the characters were used much better with Fu asserting herself more with independence and decisiveness.Additionally, Kanae and Shimokamiyama were added to this series and quickly became my two favorite characters. Kanae provided a contrast to Fu while sharing a similar passion in photography but pursuing her own interests and Shimokamiyama was supportive and encouraging despite being new to the area and photography.The trio of Kaoru, Norie and Maon were better utilized, too, though this may be since their interests were developed further instead of being Fu's groupies the entire time.The anime retained its pleasant art style and calming, tranquil feeling earning it the rare distinction of a healing anime beyond just the general label of slice-of-life.The content of stories this time around was an improvement too, being more directly related to Fu and really helping her character out instead of wandering around the city.Overall, I was thoroughly impressed with Tamayura ~more aggressive~ and hope that the series continues again someday.<br><br /><br><br />DANGANRONPA THE ANIMATION - 8<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: AOI ASAHINA<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - I didn't realize until the very end that the whole point of Danganronpa is the very end.The whole anime, the whole experience is building up to the finale in which everything about the series is revealed and every loose end is wrapped up nicely and neatly in a way that should be satisfying to most but infuriating to some.To me, I found the whole finale to be the true masterpiece of the series, erasing most of the disappointment and disinterest that I felt during the course of the anime.In fact, the finale itself is what bumped the anime from a high 7 to a low 8, so it really signifies how much I enjoyed it and how much of an impact it had on the rest of the series.Speaking about the rest of the series, it was largely slow and mundane and ordinary save for the classroom trials and the mystery about Hope's Peak Academy.I tend to enjoy mysteries, so which might be why those two aspects stood out to me as positives when the rest felt like average anime stuff.The character designs are outstanding and exceptional and the characters themselves were impressive, though some where more commanding, persuasive or fun than others.The soundtrack of the game was doubled as the soundtrack for this anime and turned out to be one of my favorite this season.If you're into video game music, it's worth your time.As for the anime being worth your time, that depends on how much you enjoy mysteries and big twists/reveals.If that's your thing, then Danganronpa is definitely worth watching.If not, don't lose sweat over this.<br><br /><br><br />GENEI WO KAKERU TAIYOU - 7<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: MELTINA MELVIS<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - Obviously heavily inspired and influenced by PUELLA MAGI MADOKA MAGICA, Genei wo Kakeru Taiyou is a somber and gloomy anime about magical girls fighting against an unknown force that preys on humans.I often categorize the anime as something that someone wrote after enjoying the dark, depressing moods of Madoka without ever really understanding what Madoka was all about.It was never going to be the most original anime out there considering how derivative it is of Madoka, but that's not to say I didn't enjoy the anime despite it never being really that great.What I did appreciate about this anime was the effort that was put into it, especially in the motifs and themes used with the tarot cards.From color coordination to ornaments to personalities to weapons to their own tragic stories, the anime thrived on its efforts to incorporate various themes and symbolism throughout.It didn't make up for the shoddy story and clich d characters but I enjoyed noticing these distinguishing characteristics and details throughout the series.I think I liked the character designs when my eyes adjusted but I definitely enjoyed the art beyond the motifs and themes and colors mentioned previous.It was low-budget but had some really inspired moments and scenes, though some were direct rip-offs of Madoka (doesn't mean it is bad just means it is unoriginal).The music was the other significant bright spot of this anime with several memorable, pleasant tracks.Even though I enjoyed Genei Taiyou, I'm not sure who I'd recommend this to since its content and characters were two large weaknesses and others would be put off by the character designs.If someone doesn't care about those details and thinks they can enjoy the art, the symbolism and the music, then it might be worth their time.Otherwise, it might be best to skip this.<br><br /><br><br />SILVER SPOON - 7<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: AKI MIKAGE<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - One of the more popular anime of the season, Silver Spoon did well with its noteworthy and distinctive setting, but what held it back for me was a main character who got on my nerves early and never really improved.Hachiken's personality really turned his character off for me with this perpetual moping personality.What made things worse is his attitude toward his parents which was never really explained.All we saw was him being an absolute dick to his family, so until that's explained, I see no reason why I should like him.Really, the rest of the cast was largely underwhelming too but that's mainly because Hachiken is the real focus since he's a complete greenhorn when it comes to agriculture.I fell in love with the setting and appreciate all the detail and effort that has gone into it and I do enjoy how the stories are building off each other, such as with Pork Bowl.Maybe my favorite part is how Hachiken's inexperience and perspective has influenced some of the other students but it's more along the lines of "oh, that's interesting" than "I'm going to change how I live thanks to you".The art and animation are solid but nothing impressive.I'm looking forward to the second half when it returns in 2014 since I'm predicting the second half will be stronger overall, but it's not one of the shows I'm terrible excited about.<br><br /><br><br />GATCHAMAN CROWDS - 7<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: UTSUTSU<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - Gatchaman Crowds was an anime with an abundance of potential but failed to deliver due to a number of small and silly mistakes.Unlike most of the people who dropped or hated this anime, I actually enjoyed Hajime's character and her personality.She was like a toddler on a constant infusion of sugar but her bright, cheery and sociable personality won me over.What I didn't care for was that her character was virtually unchallenged throughout the series.While I did enjoy her being happy, she was never put in a situation that forced her to change or forced her to grow.She's pretty much had no character development throughout the anime; her character remaining no different from the start to the end.That really disappointed me.And save from some developments that felt incredibly forced at the end, virtually no one was developing as a character.The only one that was would be Utsutsu since that was addressed early on and a constant emphasis on Hajime's part throughout.The storyline about the MESS was a bit of a mess, being dropped after the first couple of episodes to focus on GALAX and Berg-Katze, so I'm not really sure what to think about that besides maybe they forgot it or dropped it due to time constrains.The whole social media aspect, CROWDS and saving the world did nothing for me either, so I can't say I really enjoyed the plot.What I did enjoy, was the art and animation but that alone was not enough to deliver a strong anime.I'm hoping a second season will help resolve these problems and put Hajime's character in an uncomfortable place because that might be what's holding the series back for me more than anything else.<br><br /><br><br />SERVANT X SERVICE - 6<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: LUCY YAMAGAMI<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - Servant x Service is really the no-thrills, basic-package anime.There really wasn't anything special about it.Nothing with its characters, with its story, with its art or its setting. Sure, the anime was set in the health and welfare section of the local government but it was still a modern, urban Japan without any significant impact on the story or characters.You could use this same dynamic and characters at a school or a meat-processing plant or a hospital or a cruise ship and the anime would be unchanged.My response to the comedy varied from no response to smiling and I could count on my thumbs the number of times I actually laughed out loud.Then again, the anime didn't really do anything bad besides bore me.I didn't hate any of the characters, I didn't hate their stories and found the art to be somewhat cute despite it's plain appearance.Really, it's hard to have an opinion on this anime when it didn't do too much for me but I suppose I enjoyed the series overall since what I do recall are the jokes that amused me the most.But if presented with a second season, I think I'd politely decline.<br><br /><br><br />FATE/KALEID LINER PRISMA ILLYA - 6<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: SELLA<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - For whatever reason, I just never found myself enjoying Prisma Illya.The anime was fun for its parody of the magical girl genre and offered some genuine humor with its characters, but maybe there wasn't enough to hook me like other comedy anime.The actual content of the anime was pretty simple and uninspired but nothing that I'd really dock points for, especially since it was intended to be a parody.It's just I lost interest in it once I got tired with the joke.It just so happened that the series decided to be serious then too, which really didn't help.I can't say the art/animation/music were negatives since I thought the art style was cute and the battle animation was outstanding.The fights were rather long, spanning a number of episodes when it felt like they could've been faster and I didn't really care for or pay attention to the school life that kept interrupting the magical girl parts.Not really sure what it was about this series on why I lost interest in it but I did.I still finished the anime and will probably continue it again in 2014, so hopefully I will rediscover my interest in this anime again when it returns to the airwaves.<br><br /><br><br />TO ARU KAGAKU NO RAILGUN S - 6<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: MISAKA IMOUTO 10032<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - What dropped Railgun S to the bottom of Summer 2013, after placing near the middle of Spring 2013, is how it adapted the Sisters Arc.At the start of the arc, I had high expectations in anticipation of this story arc since I love seeing stories through multiple perspectives.But with the arc just repeating the story of Index with no real additional insight, feeling or worth from Misaka, it felt disappointing and fell well short of my expectations.That's not to say I didn't enjoy it since it did offer some outstanding scenes (like the first battle with Misaka Imouto 00001) but it was just too much of a retelling for me to enjoy it as much as I would with something new.As for the rest of the series, it fluctuated between a 6 and a 7.I would expect this anime to have been a 7 with the retelling portions removed, though, so I was happy and pleased with the new content.Still, I feel Railgun could have done a much better job adapting the Sisters Arc which is why Railgun S dropped to a 6 and, unfortunately, to the bottom of Summer 2013.<br><br /><br><br />Achievements of Summer 2013:<br><br /><br><br />Best Art: UCHOUTEN KAZOKU<br><br /><br><br />Best Characters: MONOGATARI SERIES: SECOND SEASON<br><br /><br><br />Best Entertainment: WATASHI GA MOTENAI NO WA DOU KANGAETEMO OMAERA GA WARUI!<br><br /><br><br />Best Setting: SHINGEKI NO KYOJIN<br><br /><br><br />Best Sound: GEN'EI WO KAKERU TAIYOU & DANGANRONPA THE ANIMATION<br><br /><br><br />Best Story: UCHOUTEN KAZOKU<br><br /><br><br />Best OP: UCHOUTEN KAZOKU<br><br /><br><br />This season could have three OPs be the best but I decided on Uchouten Kazoku since its song had the best climax.It also had some of the better artwork and direction.WATAMOTE had a better song overall but I didn't care for the visuals.GATCHAMAN CROWDS had a good song and would place 3rd.<br><br /><br><br />Best ED: STELLA JOGAKUIN KOUTOU-KA C3-BU<br><br /><br><br />This comes down to the visuals being more impressive in C3-bu than in WATAMOTE.While Watamote has the better song, I enjoy watching C3-bu's ED more.Or to put it another way, C3-bu's song is better than the visuals of Watamote.It's tough and I should probably list them as 1A and 1B but C3-bu is 1A for me.<br><br /><br><br />Biggest Surprise: LOVE LAB<br><br /><br><br />A charming, charismatic, endearing and entertaining anime, Love Lab was significantly better than what I expected it to be.I thoroughly enjoyed all the characters and every episode which is remarkable for a comedy anime.Really happy to have picked it up after it after hearing so many positive reviews from others.<br><br /><br><br />Biggest Disappointment: GATCHAMAN CROWDS<br><br /><br><br />Another anime that ends as a disappointment due to its hype, Gatchaman Crowds just had too many negatives, not enough positives and never had a chance to meet the expectations I set out for it.<br><br /><br><br />Best Finale: DANGANRONPA<br><br /><br><br />The whole point of Danganronpa is that it slowly building up the drama and mystery for the finale and, once we got there, the series delivered with its twists, reveals and other essential information.I felt very satisfied with it and it really put the whole anime in a new perspective to me.The anime really made its finale count and I appreciate that for a series like Danganronpa, especially in an era of light novel stories never find a true end.<br><br /><br><br />Most Hated Character: KOU SAWATARI (TAMAYURA ~MORE AGGRESSIVE~)<br><br /><br><br />And with that, I've caught up from all the seasons that I neglected for 2012 and 2013.All that remains is the final season review for Autumn 2013, the Final Review for 2013 and the Winter 2014 Season Preview whichI guess is now already late since the shows are already airing.Oh well, just another post for me to be late on!<br><br />Filed under: , , Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoNyEEOgCAMBMAXwYLixd8Q3UQOUNIifF%2FnOM8Y%2FQTynLQijX6J3l1p5i%2Bp2EJMCBHhgL21Ut0%2FuzNmk%2BaUs3DhAzN1FyY%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3965633152126003931.post-11837416781170944172014-01-05T20:25:00.001-08:002014-01-05T20:25:40.454-08:00Six Edgy or Action Anime Set in a Normal TokyoTokyo is as important to anime as New York is important to movies.Everything tends to get set there and iconic landmarks are shown again and again.It is also interesting how school based anime set in parts of rural Japan / other Japanese locations always have students go "Oooh.The new transfer student is from Tokyo," even though a quarter of the Japanese population lives in the greater Tokyo area.<br><br /><br><br />Shinjuku at Night<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />Anyhow, I'd like to talk about a few action anime that are set in Tokyo, but not an unusual Tokyo where mechs rule or magic is common.These are shows that happen in a Tokyo you could visit and add to the mystique of the everyday.Of course there are also shows such as Patlabor too where giant police mechs are grafted onto an otherwise normal city, and time travel with Stein's Gate / Girl Who Leapt Through Time, but I'm just aiming at shows that might have a bit of the X Files to them or way out plots.Sorry, no zombies like High School of the Dead, but that is an interesting show too!If I missed your favourite show, be kind, there is never any slur intended.<br><br /><br><br />TOKYO MAGNITUDE 8.0<br><br />This is an interesting little series about a young brother and sister who go out for a day trip in Odaiba on their own.Of course, the big one hits while they are there and they must try to find their way home to their parents.Cellular phone service is out and they are traveling across a wrecked central Tokyo in the direction of Shibuya.I thought the realism in this show was pretty good and I'm sure it is something that has struck a chord in many anime fans since the big earthquake that rocked Fukushima and Tokyo a few years back.It has to be hard to make your way across any city that is blocked with rubble, impassible roads and collapsed buildings.This anime has a bit of a surrealistic / supernatural end, but it was gripping and well done.<br><br /><br><br />PENGUINDRUM / BAKEMONOGATARI<br><br />These two anime are very visually striking and have some great color usage.Both involve supernatural elements that seem to take place in an otherwise normal environment you could be walking around in yourself.Penguindrum definitely happens in Tokyo as the metro and Ikebukuro locations are used quite a bit, while Bakemonogatari is more generic.Penguindrum is about two brothers,Kanba and Shoma, and their younger sister Himari who is terminally ill.The sister collapses after a trip to the aquarium at Sunshine City but is revived by a strange spirit in the form of Penguin hat.The show was interesting, but only really brings all of the meandering plot elements together in the last quarter of the show.There are plenty of plot twists about the family backgrounds and what exactly is the Penguindrum and what makes it so powerful?Bakemonogatari has a boy named Koyomi who was saved from a vampire attack.He now helps others who have been afflicted with various supernatural problems.Lots of talking in this show, but the funky animation sure helps this show along.I liked it mainly for the visuals, but there is plenty of other interesting things happening.<br><br /><br><br />WITCHBLADE<br><br />An anime based on the American comic book that adapted well into a Japanese context.Not exactly set in a contemporary Tokyo as it is somewhat futuristic, it is included anyways.Masane Amaha is a mother who lost her memories during the "great quake" and is afflicted with the Witchblade artifact.The Witchblade draws her into a power struggle between an powerful corporation and the government when all she wants to do is live a good life and raise her daughter.Great battle scenes between various Witchblades and Cloneblades along with many supporting characters that you really come to like.There is the very cute little girl, a bar / house that everyone hangs out in, and of course an investigative reporter.There is a nice ending to this series, but I'm not going to reveal if it is happy or tragic.By the way, another series set in Tokyo with an investigative report is Speedgrapher, but it is way more violent, more supernatural, with way more adult content and disturbing scenes.<br><br /><br><br />BIRDY THE MIGHTY DECODE<br><br />Roppongi just gets blasted into bits in this show.An Federation law enforcement agent, Birdy Cephon Altera, comes to Earth to apprehend an alien criminal ring.A poor boy named Tsutomu Senkawa is accidentally killed by her in a battle and she saves him by sharing his body.All kinds of embarrassing situations ensue, but the show has a good story at its core, with plenty of action and is decent science fiction.Alien refugees, criminals from the stars performing experiments on hapless civilians, and super-powered galactic law enforcers characterize this show.<br><br /><br><br />GANTZ<br><br />People who have recently died are revived to fight against aliens on demand.It is as if someone scanned them at a point just before they died and they get rebuilt like something out of a 3D printer.Kind of cool and creepy at the same time.Very violent with some sexual themes, this show gives the heroes advanced energy weapons and super-powered Gantz suits to use in their struggles.After they successfully defeat the aliens they were summoned to fight they earn points that play a big role later on and return to their regular life until they are summoned again.This very nasty game seems to be pointless, but does accumulate into a bigger story that explains why they are doing this.This is a popular show and manga.<br><br /><br><br />EDEN OF THE EAST<br><br />This show is a great story that builds on a number of modern societal elements like the decline of Japan, NEETS, conspiracies, crazy powerful computers, shadow organizations. The story starts with a naked hero with a cellphone and a gun who has lost his memory in front of the White House.He assumes the name ofAkira Takizawa and involves a Japanese girl named Saki in his flight from law enforcement.Both end up back in Tokyo where the story deepens.The special cellphone gives him access to a concierge names Juiz who can seem to grant miraculous wishes for a price.The hero finds out he is in a high-stakes game with 11 other Selecao to somehow save Japan in an unspecified manner on a 10 billion yen budget.The show was enjoyable along with the two movies that brought it to an ultimate conclusion.<br><br /><br><br />Anyhow, that is the six I picked for now, but there are probably many others out there that are just as much fun to watch.So the next time you're in Tokyo, let the imagination run wild in the city of anime.<br><br /><br><br />Followup...I meant to also add Durarara!! or DRRR!! to the list as it meets all of the same requirements for edgy, x-files, alternate culture too.<br><br /><br><br />DURARARA!!<br><br />This is an awesome show that features an Internet gang called the Dollars (a crowd sourced gang?), a real gang, some tough otaku, two pretty cool high-school protagonists, an almost supernatural info broker / fixer, a unlicensed doctor, a pharmaceutical company up to no good, and a headless Celtic spirit on a motorbike.That is one long sentence.Anyhow, this show has some good scripting and was way more entertaining than I ever expected.It is one of my favourites now and it showcases the neighbourhood of Ikebukuro - the alternate Akiba of Tokyo.I like the district and I like the show - two wins!<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoFwUESgCAIAMAXIVq3fmPGGJOIIxz09%2B2%2B7uNCdP220ipkFu6m1YZ6KCp4xHRiimi8gJ66QSfk4qwdcmchMHLgDl2n5BZel%2FYD6rAeAw%3D%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3965633152126003931.post-90697944982290680592014-01-05T07:53:00.001-08:002014-01-05T07:53:22.667-08:00The Very Best: Like Nothing Ever WasToday I made the conversion over to a new layout on this site to signify the beginning of a new year and also the broadening of the scope of this blog.<br><br /><br><br />Reviewing my old posts, I realized I've never really made a post about what anime I've found to be the very best - my all-time favorites.I imagine this makes it a bit difficult to understand my background and motivations.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />It's time - my top 10 anime and (now that I am expanding into games) video games.<br><br /><br><br />ANIME<br><br /><br><br />#10 : Welcome To The NHK<br><br /><br><br />Welcome to the NHK is a brilliant show that criticizes the otaku and NEET culture of Japan.In doing that, it explores a wide range of psychological issues, social disorders and tropes in the otaku culture.What makes me love this show so much is that it sometimes still maintains a light-hearted nature, even when the subject matter gets tense.The transformation of the characters is subtle and expertly done.<br><br /><br><br />#9 : FLCL<br><br /><br><br />FLCL takes some time (and multiple watches) to savor.At first glance it may seem too bizarre.But after you've had the chance to figure out the characters, their motivations (or obsessions) and the actual plot to the series, FLCL is excellent.<br><br /><br><br />As an overall experience, FLCL ranks very highly.The music is phenomenal - probably one of my all-time favorite soundtracks.Add to that a show that functions at mach speed, forcing you to constantly pay attention, and you've got yourself a winner.<br><br /><br><br />#8 : Neon Genesis Evangelion<br><br /><br><br />Any mecha fan (which I am) should consider Evangelion to be one of their favorite anime.While this is a bold statement, since Evangelion is a deconstruction of the mecha genre, it's just so, so good that you are kidding yourself if you claim to not like it.<br><br /><br><br />Who knew that a minute long single frame could be so absolutely powerful?<br><br /><br><br />#7 : Gunbuster<br><br /><br><br />We've clearly hit the GAINAX block here.Gunbuster is phenomenal.I've said a lot about the show in the past, and how I feel like Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann basically rehashed the show for the modern age, but I'll say it again.I love this show.<br><br /><br><br />It was far, far ahead of its time and has the best ending I have ever experienced in an anime.<br><br /><br><br />#6 : Mushishi<br><br /><br><br />Mushishi is an experience like no other.It is a series abounding with simple beauty.<br><br /><br><br />I once thought that I would never enjoy Mushishi, but after I started watching it, I accepted that it was much more than most anime could even aspire to be.<br><br /><br><br />I'm also incredibly pumped that there is a new season (after 8 years off the air) coming out in April.<br><br /><br><br />#5 : Steins;Gate<br><br /><br><br />Steins;Gate is a good example of a complex story done right.It has very lovable characters and an interweaving plot that only shows about time travel dare attempt.<br><br /><br><br />It's not always consistent with itself, but that's forgivable when you realize what the story achieves.Kyouma/Kurisu are two of my favorite characters - way up on the list with Araragi and Senjougahara.<br><br /><br><br />#4 : Code Geass (and R2)<br><br /><br><br />Code Geass oh Code Geass.This show just has something for everyone.I've talked a lot about it, and for good reason.It just has an incredibly solid plot - with plenty of twists and turns.<br><br /><br><br />All in all, the show is just masterfully done.While it doesn't necessarily meet my bizarreness quota at all times (there are moments), it is just so unequivocal in the way it pulls at your emotions at some points in the series.<br><br /><br><br />#3 : Mawaru Penguindrum<br><br /><br><br />Get your ticket for the bizarre train.Welcome to Rock 'n' Roll night I'm just a Rock 'n' Roll man.This show is just Fabulous Max.<br><br /><br><br />Those two words describe the show all too well.Mawaru Penguindrum is colorful, creative, vibrant and unlike anything else you've ever seen.<br><br /><br><br />If you're looking for a show about warped love, this is it.Even if you aren't, this is still it and you should watch it anyway because this show is about much, much, much more than that.<br><br /><br><br />#2 : Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica<br><br /><br><br />Madoka has been widely praised and has more fans than most series could ever dream of obtaining.But it's all for good reason and the show is a lot better than most of the fans even realize.<br><br /><br><br />The show stomps all over the magical girl genre in unrelenting vehemence.After the heads roll, there just isn't anything stopping the series from being one of the best dark, psychological and powerful shows anime (or any media for that matter) has to offer.<br><br /><br><br />#1 : Bakemonogatari<br><br /><br><br />I don't think I can thoroughly describe all of the reasons why Bakemonogatari is my favorite show.It's probably because I just love everything about it (I can't say the same of its sequels though they are still good).<br><br /><br><br />The art is gorgeous.The voice cast is brilliant.The relationships are extreme.The dialogue is quick and witty.The presentation is inventive.The comedy, when there is comedy, is hilarious (even though I'm not a fan of comedy).The action, when there is action, is fluid and explosive.<br><br /><br><br />Bakemonogatari is just, hands down, my definition of a perfect show.I can't get enough of it and never will be able to, either.<br><br /><br><br />VIDEO GAMES<br><br /><br><br />Since reviewing video games is a new thing for me, I've chosen only 5 of my favorite games.I very much enjoy RPGs, but that's mostly just because they usually have the best stories.<br><br /><br><br />#5 : World Of Warcraft<br><br /><br><br />Hold on a second!I'm going to explain myself.World of Warcraft took up waaaay too much of my time in high school and college (obviously to the point of obsession, but the amount of time spent on this game is part of the reason for it being on the list).However, there was good reason for that.<br><br /><br><br />World of Warcraft, especially in the Burning Crusade era for me, simply did a lot of things right where other MMOs have either failed or emulated.Character customization with the talent tree - great.Combat always felt fluid and unobtrusive.The dungeons were FUN even when you got down to "farming" them.<br><br /><br><br />WoW was an enjoyable experience for me - not one I ever really want to go back to, though.<br><br /><br><br />#4 : Elder Scrolls Series<br><br /><br><br />Though I didn't really get into the Elder Scrolls series until Oblivion, I really enjoy the lore in the game.Sandbox games can be incredibly fun when the games are well-realized.<br><br /><br><br />And I get to be a Knight/Paladin thing in the games simply by acting like one which is always cool.<br><br /><br><br />#3 : Final Fantasy Series<br><br /><br><br />With only a few exceptions, I have thoroughly enjoyed every Final Fantasy game I have ever played.The stories are generally well-crafted and have enough twists to keep you on your feet.<br><br /><br><br />I also like how the series always wants to reinvent itself, trying something slightly newer each generation.<br><br /><br><br />#2 : "Tales Of" Series<br><br /><br><br />It's probably because I like anime so much that the Tales games are just so appealing to me.That and the action combat.The stories are usually relatively run of the mill (with some very notable exceptions), but the games are just incredibly fun.<br><br /><br><br />I've played many times through on Tales of Symphonia (and a few times through on Tales of the Abyss).Both are phenomenal games and the series on the whole is great, as well.<br><br /><br><br />#1 : Metal Gear Solid Series<br><br /><br><br />The Metal Gear Solid games are the only games on this list that are not RPGs.What I discovered at some point was that it's not so much how I get the story from games that matters - there are imperfections in nearly every kind of gaming genre - it's that the story is actually good and well developed.<br><br /><br><br />Some would argue that the Metal Gear Solid games spend way too much time in cinematics and not enough time in gameplay.Well, the games do it right for me.So many different things are addressed in the Metal Gear Solid games that never seem to get addressed in games, and it's always a pleasure to visit a new part of the series or even revisit an old one.<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoNyFEOgCAIANATIdr86jZWLFkFTljW7et9vureZkThR4qGoX1rnczCqhdOMWWMCWNGrwQ39RcWMoeTDwJRryw70P8wiuEH4dQaPQ%3D%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3965633152126003931.post-33794167978987352212014-01-04T11:37:00.001-08:002014-01-04T11:37:22.351-08:00Autumn 2012Yes, you're reading that right.Yes, this is for 2012, not 2013.Yes, this post is OVER AN ENTIRE YEAR LATE. Yeahabout that<br><br /><br><br />So, remember all those wonderful anime from 2012?All the ones I forgot to provide my opinions and reviews and closure on?Well, here it is, my final review for the anime of Autumn 2012.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />Before we begin, the ranking of anime below was completed at the end of December after a majority of the shows were completed.I did complete an evaluation of these shows at the time but never created a final review.It's also worth noting that some of the shows that continued into Winter 2013 may have different grades in that review based on how they performed in their latter half.These are only the reviews from October-December for 2012.<br><br /><br><br />Every anime receives a numerical score (between 10-5 as well as a D [delayed/dropped]) and is placed in position according to how they rank against each other from top to bottom, helping differentiate position among anime receiving the same score.Each anime is paired with its own review which provides my overall thoughts and evaluation on the anime in addition to explaining my reasoning behind the score and ranking.Any questions or discussion are welcome and encouraged in the comment section.<br><br /><br><br />PSYCHO-PASS - 9<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: AKANE TSUNEMORI<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - Psycho-Pass is the complete anime, satisfying me or going well above the norm in every category.Of particular note is how well the setting is defined and utilized in the story and how the characters use the world they live in as a significant aspect of the story.The cast is engaging and delightful and the art and animation are thrilling, especially with some of the visual effects demonstrated.Akane's character growth has been the real story in this anime and a significant reason why it sits atop the list as the best anime of Autumn 2012.<br><br /><br><br />JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE - 9<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: DIO BRANDO<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - JoJo's has been a phenomeonal rollercoaster of an anime, filled with touching moments, emotional peaks and harrowing valleys.JoJo's knows storytelling and how to make a simple plot be an unforgettable experience.The characters ooze with charm and charisma making their dialogue both captivating and enjoyable to listen to.And the fighting, especially the climax of Phantom Blood, has been nothing short of sensational.I've been especially surprised with the brilliant and expressive use of art and colors in JoJo's, something that continues to please me with each passing episode.And the transition from Phantom Blood to Battle Tendency is keeping me excited for the second half, when this anime continues into Winter 2013.<br><br /><br><br />KAMISAMA KISS - 9<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: NATSUKO UMIBE<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - As a lighthearted and charming anime, Kamisama Kiss may be a surprise for some at its elite position but, to those who watched it, this grade and ranking seems appropriate.Kamisama Kiss was the embodiment of fun and amusement, an ideal presentation for a romantic comedy where Nanami is a luckless girl who serendipitously becomes the god of the Mikage shrine.The story is about Nanami's transition and the hectic and tumultuous lifestyle that awaits her but the anime puts on a happy face and makes everything amiable or amusing.The cast is particularly enjoyable (though some males were obnoxious and annoying) and had excellent chemistry together.And this is one of the few anime where the romance didn't feel predominantly forced or annoying.Although Kamisama Kiss may not look like a stellar or outstanding anime, it is easily one of the best anime I've seen all year.<br><br /><br><br />NEKOMONOGATARI: KURO - 9<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: SHINOBU OSHINO<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - Although I typically only evaluate and grade TV anime in these reviews, the Nekomonogatari: Kuro OVA was four that snuck in right before New Year's Eve.And since I'm a slave to Shaft's eccentric styles and the storytelling of the BAKEMONOGATARI franchise, I felt it would be appropriate to include.<br><br /><br><br />Nekomonogatari: Kuro was decent as a standalone series but it's success derives from knowing how it integrates into the series and how it supplements your understanding of Bakemonogatari.Without this knowledge and watching the story arc as a 'flashback', this anime would only have been mediocre for Shaft.However, watching Nekomonogatari is like finishing the part of a puzzle that was left unfinished back in Summer 2009 and glossed over in Winter 2012.It's incredibly satisfying and the art, direction and storytelling made it even more enjoyable.I've always been a fan of the Bakemonogatari franchise, thanks to its art, characters, dialogue and odd stories on oddities, but this has been one of the better examples of the franchise.I'm thrilled that we received this OVA and its grade and position reflect that and its excellence.<br><br /><br><br />K - 9<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: NEKO<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - K is a perfect example of style over substance, a rather thin, obtuse story with lots of stunning colors, choreographed fights and an uncomfortable blue filter over everything.And while there were misgivings about the story, it was decent but it wasn't what K was about.K was a visual masterpiece of colors, kinetics, animation and expression that featured gorgeous fights and stylish action.It really didn't have a significant meaning, but as long as you didn't care (and K certainly doesn't), K is wonderful.I'd love to see more anime mimic this style of art and animation, but not to the point where it saturates the industry like that certain blue filter.The cast size was enormous and diverse enough that virtually anyone who watched it could find a character they liked, so I'm not sure whether that's a positive or negative.One negative was that the story was rather tame and anime-ish, but as long as you're not watching it for the story, K will be worthwhile.The whole point of K is to watch a fun anime with loads of action that dazzles and delights the eyes and, if you watch it with that in mind, K will be one of the better anime you watch.<br><br /><br><br />- 8<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: KONA FURUGOORI (FRAU)<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - The strengths of Robotics;Notes is in its foundation: its characters, its setting and its charm.With the story particularly lacking and the art and animation subpar, especially for Production I.G, the characters are what drives Robotics;Notes forward with their quirky behavior and ideal chemistry.I can't say I'm entirely thrilled with the pace and direction of the story but I do enjoy the subtle mysteries and elusive hints popping up at various unexpected times.Still, the anime is best when it's happy and it's been relatively good at that.The setting with robots and robotics and anime is nice but the use of technology and the location are what I appreciate the most.Tanegashima is unique and plays well with the distinctiveness of Robotics;Notes and the use of the Iru-O system (how you see Airi) in the anime has been innovative and significant.I hope the anime continues on this trajectory into Winter 2013 since it has been pleasant but could use improvement in its art and story.<br><br /><br><br />- 8<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: LEILA<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - Fantasy and adventure reign supreme in Magi, allowing the anime to present both an enthralling story with exuberance and enthusiasm.The setting has been engaging and exceptional with its labyrinths, djinns and exhaustive, minute details.I'm particularly happy we've seen various cities from various characters and their perspectives to construct a proper understanding of this world and the magic within it.The characters have been enjoyable thus far with the main trio featuring strong chemistry, especially between Aladdin and Alibaba.The fights have been decent, too, though the best was shown in the first episode.I'm curious to see where the anime goes from here knowing that this is a particularly long shounen manga, but the start has captivated me and hooked me in.However, I can only hope the anime stays like this throughout.<br><br /><br><br />SHIN SEKAI YORI - 8<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: SAKI WATANABE<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - Perhaps the most cerebral and intelligent anime of the season, Shin Sekai Yori leads strong with its fascinating characters, its shadowy story and even more enigmatic setting.Maybe the most interesting aspect is watching the small circle of children grow and discover in this dangerous and frightening world.Whether it is outside threats or an overseeing government, there's the constant feeling of threat and fear.The anime has been trending up with recent episodes and I'm intensely interested to see how this story continues and how everything resolves in the end.<br><br /><br><br />ZETSUEN NO TEMPEST - 8<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: HAKAZE KUSARIBE<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - I'm not exactly sure what to think about Zetsuen no Tempest, but I like what I see.The drive of the characters and the constant onslaught of logic and secrecy give the anime an appeal unique to Tempest, though I do question whether there is an oversaturation of it at times (the last few episodes where the characters just talked and talked and talked detract from this fascination).The system and use of magic have also been interesting, especially with its emphasis on defense rather than offense.However, the dynamic of the series with Hazke guiding two conflicting best friends via wooden doll walkie-talkie has been remarkable.Having the guiding force be so far away and having each character work passionate for their own, different goals has made this anime enjoyable.There are some misgivings and at times, it can be boring, but Tempest has been a charming anime and I'm excited to see where this anime will go and how everything will resolve with its latter half in Winter 2013.<br><br /><br><br />GIRLS UND PANZER - 8<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: MAKO REIZEI<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - Girls und Panzer is certainly an interesting take on a moe, slice-of-life anime.Not only is it distinctive and matchless among its peers for its constant emphasis on warfare than overpowering theme of tanks but it has curious details too, like the schools being on aircraft carriers and the cast of 40+ girls.It's been surprising and enjoyable, but a few details got in the way to derail the anime.Of particular note, are the stupid strategies that worked during the fights and the fact that the school would be saved ONLY by the girls winning the girly tank warfare tournament.I can't stand storylines like those, but thankfully it did not diminish from the rest of the fun and enjoyment of Girls und Panzer.Some of the tank battles had particularly fantastic animation but for the most part, the series had median levels of art and animation.The real strengths of the series were its fun, amusement and entertainment and certainly a worthwhile watch for those reasons alone.<br><br /><br><br />SPACE BROTHERS - 8<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: TADASHI HOSHIKA<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - What more can I say about Space Bros that I haven't said in previous reviews?The series has pretty much plateaued for me.It's still enjoyable but there's nothing really exciting or new about it anymore.The fact that these little story events repeat themselves in the same pattern over and over again has made the anime a little stale actually.I'm hoping that as the story crawls closer to space, something fun or exciting will happenbut if the series keeps inching along at this pace, we might be traveling to the moon ourselves before Mutta does.<br><br /><br><br />CHUUNIBYOU DEMO KOI GA SHITAI! - 7<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: TOUKA TAKANASHI<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - The comedy in Chuunibyou was more of an 8 but the romance and story was definitely a 6 meaning this romantic comedy ends up as a 7.I really enjoy the anime as a mindless source of entertainment with gorgeous art/animation and a delightful cast but the topics and episodic content was actually rather boring, tepid or derivative.Still, Chuunibyou is a solid anime but one that I'd recommend as a comedy more than anything else.<br><br /><br><br />MEDAKA BOX ABNORMAL - 7<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: YATSUSHIRO (Absent)<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - Although I thoroughly enjoyed Medaka Box Abnormal, the anime itself was pretty much mediocre.What caught my attention and kept me smiling were the show's surprisingly fun fights, its charming humor, its humorous characters and intelligent dialogue but nothing here was terrible impressive, noteworthy or innovative.In fact, all of the strengths of the anime for me were good but not great.Still, good is good enough for me, and I loved watching Medaka Box Abnormal for those very reasons since it did well in all these areas with no deficiencies.The story of this sequel was a marked improvement over the original anime and the series was on a positive trajectory at the end, leaving me wanting more.I wouldn't mind watching another season of Medaka Box but I figure there probably won't be another sequel based on its dismal reception and sales.<br><br /><br><br />LITTLE BUSTERS! - 6<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: KUDRYAVKA NOUMI<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - While I want myself to like Little Busters!, I really can't.There are just too many issues with the storytelling and story in this anime.I realize the anime is based on a game but the transition between the two medium is virtually non-existent and the storytelling, pacing and enjoyment from the game are noticeably absent.I also have to question the purpose or intent of these storylines, especially since they never really seem to build off each other and just end, much like going down different routes, reseting and then going down the next one.Is that really the best direction for this anime?Why not just play the game instead of trying to adapt it to an anime with this being the result?However, when ignoring these major flaws, the anime does have some highlights, particularly its cast and its humor.The anime continues into Winter 2013, so hopefully we can see some progress with the latter half of this series.<br><br /><br><br />SAKURASOU NO PET NA KANOJO - 6<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: MASHIRO SHIINA<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - I'm really starting to wonder why I'm watching Sakurasou.While the anime does have its enjoyable moments, the series has been largely boring to me.It's just too 'normal' of an anime to be anything exciting or original or worthwhile.It's really just a reminder of all the anime I watched back in the late 2000s that were of this similar style, of highschoolers spending their youth together and having fun.It's anime I feel like I've watched before and want to move away from.But still, there's a reason why I watched those anime previously and why I'm still watching Sakurasou now.Sakurasou does have a magnificent list of characters which really makes the show worth watching.The romance, story and comedy might be lacking but I do seeing the characters and their chemistry together.I hope the series improves in its latter half, but I wouldn't hold my breath for such a feat.<br><br /><br><br />JORMUNGAND PERFECT ORDER - 6<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: SCHOKOLADE<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - With every rocket launching high into the orbit, Jormungand Perfect Order saw its stock drop further and further.What began as an insightful, entertaining and splendid anime, Jormungand's series ended in one of the most bewildering and confounding finishes imaginable.At first, the action was dumb but fulfilling and entertaining.Yeah, there were guns firing and things blowing upawesome.But then the cast of characters became invisible and everything they did - everything as impossible as they did - was too damn easy.It mean that one of my favorite aspects at the beginning of the series (the action/fighting) had become my worst enemy at the end.There was no challenge or effort in this anime and everything was handed to Koko and company.At that point, the series began to grow weary and tiresomeand that point was reached somewhere in season 1.Nothing changed in this sequel and the characters and story felt like afterthoughts.The fact that the sequel continued on this downward spiral and failed to make any of the necessary adjustments to revitalize the series or make it mildly interesting caused the anime to be a severe, severe disappointment.And the ending was so stupid and infuriating that I can think of no better place for Jormungand.<br><br /><br><br />SWORD ART ONLINE - 5<br><br /><br><br />Favorite Character: KEIKO AYANO (SILICA)<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW - Sword Art Online is a teenage boy's fantasy.It's literally just a fanboy writing down his every desire.Imagine being all alone every day (no parents, no siblings, no school, no homework, no responsibilities) playing virtual-reality video games with friends tons of hot girls in which you're the best person ever at said video games and all your friends the hot girls are constantly wanting over your dick.Then you save the video game worlds or something and meet your girlfriend in real life.And everything's gravy.And while that does make for a good reality (to be honest, who wouldn't want to go on that adventure), it makes for a terrible, terrible story.There are no challenges.There are no rewards.It's just a kid writing a Christmas list and getting everything he wants.There's no earning it in Sword Art Online.There's no value to what he's doing.And you know every challenge Kirito goes into, he'll immediately prevail due to whatever bullshit the series wants.It's just watching a kid get whatever he wants, and that makes for a terrible, terrible anime.As for the rest of SAO, it was actually fairly decent.I did enjoy the characters, the backgrounds, the animation and the music.All those factors were at the industry median to superb to even outstanding at times.However, I could never get beyond the fact that the content of this anime was just miserable fanwank.I really wish Sword Art Online could've received a better grade due to the features I enjoyed but this is really the grade the anime deserves.Kinda sad to think about, really.<br><br /><br><br />Achievements of Autumn 2012:<br><br /><br><br />Best Art: K<br><br /><br><br />Best Characters: SHIN SEKAI YORI<br><br /><br><br />Best Entertainment: JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE<br><br /><br><br />Best Setting: PSYCHO-PASS<br><br /><br><br />Best Sound: K<br><br /><br><br />Best Story: SHIN SEKAI YORI<br><br /><br><br />Best OP: JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE<br><br /><br><br />Since I loved the songs for this as well as K, KAMISAMA KISS, MAGI, MEDAKA BOX ABNORMAL, PSYCHO-PASS, and ROBOTICS;NOTES, I had to find the one with the best visuals, which is easily JoJo's. Second overall would be K followed by Medaka Box.<br><br /><br><br />Best ED: JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE<br><br /><br><br />I absolutely love it whenever an anime ending song begins playing during the final seconds of an episode and this one did it numerous times.Although the visuals a pan over ancient Aztec carvings, I do like that they show all the characters and the song has developed into a personal favorite.PSYCHO-PASS would be second and SHIN SEKAI YORI is third.<br><br /><br><br />Biggest Surprise: KAMISAMA KISS<br><br /><br><br />What I expected to be a rather amusing but stereotypical shoujo reverse-harem romance turned out to be on of the best anime of the season, if not the year.The characters, story and comedy proved to be impressive and delightful making this the most pleasant surprise of the season.<br><br /><br><br />Biggest Disappointment: JORMUNGAND: PERFECT ORDER<br><br /><br><br />Although I was growing tired of Jormungand at the end of the first season, I completely lost it with Jormungand in this continuation.The action was awful and unbelievable, the characters felt flat and tedious and the story never really interested me, so Jormungand gave me nothing but dissatisfaction.<br><br /><br><br />Best Finale: MEDAKA BOX ABNORMAL<br><br /><br><br />The episode proved to be fun and entertaining, especially since it was one especially made for TV [you couldn't use that much color in a weekly manga] and with an entirely new cast of characters.<br><br /><br><br />Most Hated Character: OTOHITO (KAMISAMA KISS)<br><br /><br><br />Also, I'd like to take a moment to apologize for the unreasonable delay in this post.Hopefully you had some fun reliving the anime from 2012 here in 2014 (or later).<br><br />Filed under: , , Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoNyLENwCAMBMCJ4A2iyjYosRQKbIQNrJ9cea%2F7uIC6N1tT4Xh0PmOyWby1I1MqoAQqqMtXl%2FBPDsbVVMLk3fjgAzMxFyU%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3965633152126003931.post-65037630289895786002014-01-03T12:50:00.001-08:002014-01-03T12:50:25.325-08:00Summer '13Quick Top 5 for two seasons ago:<br><br /><br><br />#1. Monogatari Series Second Season<br><a name='more'></a><br><br />Reminds me of how much I loved Bakemonogatari and continues with the well written dialogue and letting you hang from your seat as you either try to figure out the story or watch it unfold before your eyes. Visually appealing as always with SHAFT and just had much more interest as opposed to Nisemonogatari. What a series, was really sad to see if finish, and boy, whoa what, what and ending! Can't wait to see more, apparently there's a Hanamonogatari in store with more Kanbaru who was hardly present in this series.<br><br /><br><br />#2. Danganronpa<br><br />*Cue OP* OP so catchy. The normal original one; without the weird rapping and lyrics lawl. Kind of a given to be top 5 for me as I looked forward to this the most. Kirigiri Kyouko<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNrLKCkpsNLXz84sSgRhveSiyuKSxBwgLtLLTdW3L7A1NDQyNAIAI6oNow%3D%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0